AND HIS 



O L; e A N CLARK ■ 

:Ui^.Vt<I^^H JOSEPH H.SMITH 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 







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DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 



Davit) 1^. Upqegmff 



-AND- 





HIS WORK. 








BY 


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ttugatt dlark anti gas^ph H. Smitlr 












CINCINNATI, 




Tublished for JOSEPH H. SMITH, 






•By m. IV. KNAPP, 'Xcvivalisl Office, 








*893- 










COPYRIGHT, 1895, 

BY 

JOSEPH H. SMITH. 




PRESS OF 

ARMSTRONG & FILLMORE,, 

CINCINNATI. 



PREFACE. 



9t CHILD may drop flowers upon a father's grave. 
C] Neither the child nor the flowers can tell how great 
or how good that father was ; but they both may tell that 
he has left a life behind which lingers in the fragrance of 
grateful love. 

Love has constrained us to take up this task, which 
Providence has seemed to thrust upon us. We do so, 
both from the love of him whose memory we wish cher- 
ished, and from the love of HIM whose kingdom we wish 
to extend. We feel in no wise " sufficient for these 
things; " but are at once confident of our heavenly Fa- 
ther's help, and of the charitable indulgence of our breth- 
ren and sisters in the Lord. 

In penning the memorial of the life and work of such 
an one, we tread upon sacred ground. " The memory of 
the just is blessed." Characters like that of David B. 
Updegraff stamp generations beyond that in which they 
lived. Work like this does not end in a single harvest, 
and leave the soil impoverished for those who are to fol- 
low. To care for the seed which he would have distrib- 
uted Jto those who are to scatter it over fields which he 
had plowed, is no small stewardship and responsibilit3\ 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

CHAPTER I.— Authority and Scope, .... i 

Biblical Biography. Spiritual Biography, Preserva- 
tiou and Perpetuation of Influence and Ministry. 

CHAPTER II.— Of Godly Ancestry, .... 9 

he Faith that was in his Grandmother and his 
Mother and in Him also. 

CHAPTER III.— CoN\^ERSiON 15 

Like Nicodemus, he must be born again. Conversion 
Defined. An Old Methodist Revival. Pungent Con- 
viction. Public Confession. A Night at Bethel. A 
Marvelous Transition. Succeeding I^ife. 

CHAPTER IV.— Entire Sanctification, ... 24 
Zeal for Souls. Concern about his Own State. Incited 
by a Hearsay Gospel to seek Full Salvation. Con- 
viction of Inbred Sin. At Peniel. The Struggle 
and Surrender of Entire Consecration. The Baptism 
with the Holy Ghost. In the Canaan of Perfect 
Love. A Witness. 

CHAPTER v.— A Genuine Quaker 37 

A Loyal Churchman, though a Catholic Christian. 
True Quakerism Misunderstood Because Misrepre- 
sented by Many Quakers. The Original Spirituality 
of this Church Revived. 

CHAPTER VI.— A Fui,i,-Length Portrait, ... 47 
His Character Graphically and Faithfully Described by 
John Henry Douglas. Poem by Fannie J. Crosby. 

CHAPTER VIL— Preacher, ....... 50 

Manly, Christly, Loving, Scriptural, Intellectual. His 
Homiletical Habits, Pulpit Style, etc. 

CHAPTER VIIL— Pastor and Teacher, . . 58 

Diversified Gifts. Gifts versus Ofl&ces in the Minis- 
try. His Position to the Flock of Christ a Relation 
Rather than an OfBce. Ability to Open Script- 
ure, etc. 



CONTENTS. vii 

CHAPTER IX.— A Modei. Evangei^ist, .... 66 

Evangelists. Criticism of. Place of. Passion for Souls. 
Mode of Leading Meetings. Determination for Re- 
sults. Field, Compensation, etc. 

CHAPTER X.— Author and Editor, . . . . 73 
Style. Contributions to Press. Employed by Forum. 
Editor of Friends' Expositor. Specimen Edito- 
rial. Criticisms of Drummond, of Lew Wallace, of 
Thomas Kimber, of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 
of Burnes' Fanaticism. 

CHAPTER XI.— Home Life, . . . . . . . 85 

AflFectionateness. Cheerfulness. Helpfulness. Good 
Management. Hospitality. Letters to Mrs. Upde- 
graflf from the Battle-field. Birthday Poem Written 
by his Daughter. 

CHAPTER XII.— His Baptism, 96 

Conviction. Rev. Edgar Levy's Account of his Bap- 
tism. His Esteem of its Importance, etc. 

CHAPTER XIIL— Champion of Toi,erance, ... 106 
His Position Correctly Stated. Papacy in Protestant- 
ism.' Spiritual Degeneracy Exhibited in Ecclesias- 
tical Tyranny. A Good Warfare and Some Con- 
quests. Current Specimen of Existing Intolerance. 
Methodist Bishop and Presiding Elders. Inquisito- 
rial Questions Submitted to Dougan Clark Calling 
upon him to Recant in the Matter of Baptism. 

CHAPTER XIV.— Rewgious Toi^erance as Rei^atkd to 

Christian Unity, 123 

An Able Address by David UpdegraflF. 

CHAPTER XV.— A Standard-Bearer of Hoi^iness, . 137 
Rev. Asbury Lowry's Estimate. In Accord with Geo. 
Fox and John Wesley. Opposed to Antinomianism. 
Proclaimed Real Liberty to the Captives. New Uu- 
foldings of the Old Doctrine of the Baptism of the 
Holy Ghost. 

CHAPTER XVL— Steps in the Experience of the 

Aposti^es, 144 

A Sermon. 



vm CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER XVII.— Position on the Church Question, 154 
Not an Anarchist. No Encouragement to Comeout- 
ism. Discontent Discouraged, No New Sects Need- 
ed for the Promotion of Holiness. 

CHAPTER XVIII.— Intkrdenom in ATiONAi, Work, . 160 
Too Great for One Church. Holiness Demolishing 
Sectarian Walls. He Finds a Ready Welcome in 
Many Places as the Herald of a Full Salvation. A 
Summer's Campaign. Mountain Lake Park. 

CHAPTER XIX.— Views on Various Topics, . . 181 
The Sabbath Question. Inherited Tendencies. On 
Divine Healing. Birthright Membership. Elders 
and their Use. "All in Jesus." Deposing Minis- 
ters, etc. 

CHAPTER XX.— Views on Various Topics— (C<7«//«/<^^), 205 
Baptism with the Holy Ghost. Letter to Minister in 
Search of Holiness. Courage. Sectarianism in Mis- 
sion Work. Ministry of Women. The Bible, etc. 

CHAPTER XXI.— The Parousia, 233 

Sermon Showing his Views of Christ's Second Coming. 

CHAPTER XXII.— Confessions of a Quaker, . . 239 
An Able Delineation of the History, Character, and 
Condition of the Friends' church furnished by him 
for the Forum. 

CHAPTER XXIII.— A Finished Course, . . . 254 
Premonitions. Everything Ready for the End, which 
comes Unexpectedly to Many. His Own Presenti- 
ment Concerning the Sentence of Death. Prayer for 
his Recovery. Love and Hope Misinterpreted the 
Spirit's Telegrams. His Departure, Funeral, Memo- 
rial Service, Notes and Telegrams of Appreciation 
and Condolence. 

CHAPTER XXIV.— Memorials and Loving Tributes, 269 
Rev. E. I. D. Pepper's Memorial Editorial in the Chris- 
tian Standard. Services at Hutchinson, Kansas, 
Mountain Lake Park, Pitman Grove, Philadelphia, 
and Elsewhere. Words of - Tribute from Man 
Friends. 

CHAPTER XXV.— His Works do Foi,i.ow Him, . . 306 



CHAPTER I. 

AUTHORITY, OBJECT AND SCOPE OF THIS MEMOIR. 

INSPIRATION establishes the precedent of recording 
biographies of God's servants, particularly of those 
who, like Abraham or Moses or Paul, marked epochs or 
distinguished eras in the progress of Christ's kingdom 
among men. Such recorded lives have a twofold value 
and purpose. (1) They acquaint us with God's dealings 
with individuals, and with the use He condescends to 
make.of them in furthering His designs. (2) They tend 
to perpetuate or immortalize the truths exemplified in 
their lives or promulgated in their ministries. 

But biographies of Scripture differ from all others in 
several particulars. Their very inspiration is evidenced 
by the impartiality with which they record the faults and 
failures, as well as the virtues and victories, of heroic char- 
acters. They omit all that which has no bearing upon 
the main subject of which the Bible treats throughout, 
which is the Redemption of man through the man, Christ 
Jesus. Their accuracy is infallible in all matters essen- 
tial. Therefore the study of Scriptural biography is a 
most important part of the study of God's word. It is 
really the study of Theology in the concrete. It is the 

study of human links of connection between great sec- 

(ij 



*i MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

tions of sacred history. It combines the knowledge of 
the course of Providence with the knowledge of the ways 
of grace. 

In presenting this memorial, we shall strive to emulate 
the high standards established by these inspired prece- 
dents in at least these simple particulars. 

First. We aim at a spiritual, rather than a natural, bi- 
ography. Ancestry, nativity, youth, education, circum- 
stances, natural gifts, etc.. are often abused and per- 
verted by an unfaithful stewardship, and upon the other 
hand, often so magnified by the enthusiastic historian, 
as to accord little glory to Christ in the narrative, and to 
utterly discourage, rather than to stimulate, those who 
should be benefited by such lives. Justice, it is true, 
will require us to notice unusual talents and exceptional 
advantages, particularly in the ancestry of Brother Up- 
degraff , but if we are to breathe his own spirit of humil- 
ity as well as that of his Master, we must rather show 
that it was the presentation of all these upon God's altar, 
and their being made to glow as did the burning bush of 
Moses, which made him what he was, and enabled him 
to bless so many souls. 

Second. We purpose aiding our readers to see in him 
an illustration of how th.Q primitive Christianity of apos- 
tolic times is adapted to the age and land in which we live. 
Many think the graces and gifts of the Spirit are obso- 
lete ; that such recorded lives as that of Paul were meant 
to be monuments rather than patterns. The Holy Ghost 
Christianity of the early days is to some like the Egyp- 
tian pyramids — something gigantic, mysterious and inim- 
itable. But we believe that the individual and church 
life of the Acts of the Apostles is but an inspired frontis- 
piece to church history, and that all Christian life of all 



AUTHORITY, OBJECT AND SCOPE. 3 

ages is to be modeled after that pattern. David Upde- 
graflf is a specimen of a Pentecostal character who lived 
in this latter half of the nineteenth century ; a spiritual 
man of the times. 

Third. We purpose underscoring some things in his 
life which may serve to emphasize current movements in 
the history of his own church, and in the church at large. 
Movements with which he was prominently identified, 
and some of which he inaugurated ; others he intensified. 
We have hope hereby to furnish, in this time of multi- 
plied organizations, and of absorption in what is called 
the practical side of Christianity, a glimpse of some of 
the leading spiritual agitations and potent factors in the 
church life of our day, which, as the soul to the body, 
would animate and energize all the different members 
and motions, and which, like the soul again, is so much 
greater than the body, that we have to consider them 
aside from and above organization itself. They partake 
so largely of the spiritual that those given to measuring 
things by sense and numbers, are apt to overlook them. 

David Updegraff will be found to be a man so true to 
the church corporate as never to have been open to the 
suspicion of being visionary ; and yet so closely allied 
with the broad aggressive spiritual movements of the day 
as never to be accused of idolatry of organization, nor of 
bondage to it. 

While hardly called upon here to rehearse or to record 
imperfections, we have no thought of laying claim to per- 
fection for this object of our love and admiration (save 
only, of course, in a New Testament and Christian sense 
of perfection). Men are not meant to be perfect in this 
probationary state. Their environment is imperfect ; so 
is their inheritance from a fallen human nature. Their 



4 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

opportunities, also, have been both partial and defective. 
The consequence is, that though man may have a perfect 
treasure of grace, he will, nevertheless, have this treas- 
ure in an earthen vessel, marred in many ways. Yet, 
such is the magnanimity of the grace of God, and such 
its omnipotence, that even infirmities become occasions of 
more abundant grace to man, and more manifest glory to 
God. We believe it was so with David Updegraff. |What- 
ever his infirmities were (and we may have been too 
blinded with love to know) they never became the ground 
of a pessimistic self-depreciation or despair, but rather 
the occasion of a most humble confidence in God's suffi- 
ciency and a most sympathetic touch with man's frailty. 
The whole man, moods, manners and mind, was under 
Christ's touch and influence so fully that he glorified God 
not only in his spirit but in his body as well, which was 
Christ's. 

Not then a perfect, but a normal man ; a normai, man 
AND A NORMAL, MINISTER. In tliis light we commend 
him to all men for emulation and imitation. He was a 
copy of nobody ; he was the artificial product of no human 
system of making ministers. This emulation may be the 
more general since he was a man of affairs — affairs such 
as most men have to deal with ; and since he represented 
the common priesthood of all believers more fully than 
simply a separate ministerial class or order. His minis- 
terial training was gained in the school of Nature, the 
ways of Providence, the secret places of Christ's love, 
and the open fields of soul-saving work. Men will do 
well to learn from the ministry of his manhood, and min- 
isters to learn from the manliness of his ministry. 

Two evils stare us in the face in connection with the 
preaching of Christ's Gospel : 



AUTHORITY, OBJECT AND SCOPE. 5 

The one is the evil of the people in consenting that the 
work of the ministry be restricted to a single class of 
men, and made a profession. Do not Christians surren- 
der their highest prerogatives when they thus agree only 
to hear the truth, when the plan of the Spirit provides 
for their own highest development by " speaking the 
truth in love," and when their richest eternal gain will 
be the result of having turned many to righteousness ? 

The other evil we note is, that much of the training of 
our ministers in theological schools is more technical than 
practical ; more theological than experimental ; more 
scholarly than spiritual. The result is a ministry which 
is neither in close touch with God on the one hand, nor 
with man upon the other hand ; whereas the ministry 
was meant to be a bridge between the two. These minis- 
ters are often more artificial than natural, more human 
than supernatural. Without presuming to decide whether 
this evil is a result of the system, or whether it is simply 
representative of dangers incidental thereto, we can not 
but feel that the ministry and success of David B. Upde- 
grafE should be pondered as proof of the fact that the 
Spirit and the Providence of God will co7nbine to utilize the 
school of life, and the ear7iest application of one's ransomed 
powers to the unprovement of ordinary opportwiities for the 
qualification of a living man to preach a living gospel to a 
living people. We repeat and emphasize this fact, that he 
was a normal man; normal, in that he was a perfect 
Christian and a well developed man — scriptural, spiritual, 
sensible. Normal, in that his ministry was but the un- 
hindered and intense product of this Christianity and this 
manhood combined. 

We should not fail to note here, also, as it may appear 
in various connections later, a striking characteristic of 



6 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

his ministry which is lacking in the ministry of many, 
perverted and abused in that of many more, and found 
in its purity and power in only a few. What shall we 
call it? Polemical ability? That hardly tells it all, con- 
sidering the way we use the term polemical. Controver- 
sial skill ? But controversy now means no more than con- 
tradiction and personal abuse with so many, and this was 
much more Christlike than that. It w^as his wisdom a?id 
heroism in refuting error and advocating truth against all 
odds, and many opposers. His versatility of moods, and 
variety of gifts so eminently qualified him either to * an- 
swer a fool according to his folly,' to clear away under- 
brush from the truthseeker's way, or to rebuke, either 
with sarcasm or with strongest logic, the man, who, tra- 
dition-bound, creed-dwarfed, or prejudice-blinded, would 
block the way of others against the entrance of light. 
The sainted John Fletcher furnishes, in his " Checks," a 
remarkable illustration of how, ' ' though the man of God 
must not strive, but be gentle towards all men," he can, 
in the spirit of truth and love, most "earnestly contend 
for the faith once delivered to the saints." For lack of 
such ability on the part of the standard-bearers of the 
church, important truths are often surrendered to the 
enemy, and others are buried from notice beneath a false 
peace. Then, upon the other hand, carnality is so full of 
contention that many injure the truth they profess to 
defend by giving way to "the wrath of man which 
worketh not the righteousness of God. " 

David w^as strong and skillful in debate, though he 
never courted it on its own account, nor wasted it upon 
trivial subjects nor trifling persons. But in championing 
Tolerance as against Ecclesiastical oppression, or Full 
Salvation as against worldliness and carnality of the 



AUTHORITY, OBJECT AND SCOPE. 7 

church, or the twisted theology of the preachers, his po- 
sitions were irrefutably sustained, and his arguments have 
not yet been withstood. 

Perhaps that portion of this memoir which relates to his 
own church and questions there with which he dealt, may 
interest others as well as Friends. It may surprise some to 
find that there are such momentous questions confronting 
the spiritually-minded within that church, while others, 
indeed, may be surprised to find the evangelistic capaci- 
ties and capabilities which exist within this, usually con- 
sidered, exclusive and conservative Society when once the 
George Fox type of Quakerism is fully revived among 
them. We have no doubt, upon the other hand, that the 
Friends will be pleased and interested to follow their own 
David, as he merges out into broader fields, and is found 
fighting the battles of the Lord elsewhere as well as at 
home. His interdenominational family will praise God for 
the most excellent church and people of whom he was 
such a creditable representative, and his "home folks" 
will ever rejoice that this, their son and brother and father 
proved the existence of a true Christian unity in the 
churches of to-day, by the fact of his most powerful 
and blessed ministry through the open doors of so many 
of them, without the sacrifice, upon his part, of a tithe of 
the allegiance and love which he ever delighted to show 
towards the church of his fathers. 

Possibly the reader will be aided by a simple and natural 
division of the book as follows : 

I. A concise account of his Ancestry, Birth and Early 
Ufe. 

II. A History of his Conversion, Sanctification, and 
Entrance upon Public Work and Home Life. 



8 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

III. His Work as Preacher, Pastor, Evangelist, Author, 
and Editor. 

IV. His Baptism and his Championship of Tolerance in 
the Friends' Church. 

V. His Doctrine of Holiness and his Relation to the 
Modern Holiness Movement. 

VI. Views on Various Subjects. 

VII. His Finished Course. 



CHAPTER II. 



OF GODLY ANCESTRY. 



"Of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as 
touching the law, a Pharisee."— Phii,. 3 : 5. 

Q^OME of the older Friends would be better qualified 
jJ than I to tell of that sturdy stock from which David 
Updegraff came. Sturdy, not only from a physical stand- 
point, as pioneers of the country, but far beyond the aver- 
age in vigor of mind, and richness of natural faculties ; 
still more stalwart in moral and religious heroism, and in 
almost incredible labors and sacrifices for the spread of 
righteousness. 

Did not the great apostle Paul, in rehearsing Timothy's 
gifts and preparations for the ministry, make special note 
of the faith that was first in his grandmother Lois, and 
then in his mother Eunice, as well as that, at length, in 
Timothy himself? So it seems to us, that while natural 
generation cannot bequeath spiritual life, nevertheless, no 
account of this remarkable man's character would be 
either just or complete which failed to honor his noble 
ancestry. 

His grandmother, Ann Taylor, was a most remarkable 
woman, of indomitable zeal and heioic devotion. Many, 
in the vicinity of Mount Pleasant, Ohio, are still familiar 
with some of the striking features of her character and 

2 C9J 



10 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ministry. She was a terror to evil-doers, an apostle of a 
most rigorous conscience, a prophetic forerunner of the 
coming days of a greater liberty and a broader Gospel 
light ; an itinerant preacher until she was ninety years 
old. Her husband was also a minister, and the two to- 
gether founded the Society and stamped the die which 
fixed the high moral type of the place. 

David B. Updegraff was the youngest son of David and 
Rebecca Updegraff, and was born at Mount Pleasant, 
Ohio, in the year 1830. His mother was a woman anointed 
of God to preach the Gospel, and in her faithful devotion 
to the trust thus committed to her she paved the way 
for the liberty which his grandmother had predicted and 
which he was to be so instrumental in inaugurating and 
extending. She was, indeed, a most loyal soldier of the 
Cross. Everything dear to her was held as subordinate, 
subservient, and when need be, sacrificial to her call and 
commission of God to carry the knowledge of Christ to a 
hungry church and a dying world. As his grandmother 
had endured the toils and rigors of a primitive pioneer 
life, midst the forests and hills of a new country, so too, 
his mother encountered similar toils and rigors among 
the hills about Jerusalem and the second growth of ec- 
clesiastical forestry which had grown up about an old 
church clearing. And this was not unattended by some 
chilling wintry blasts and east winds which tested the 
ruggedness of her moral constitution, but found no place 
there weak enough to give way. 

Following in such a succession as this, David Updegraff 
did inherit susceptibilities to moral conviction and spirit- 
ual light and capabilities for religious exploit to an un- 
usual degree. Nature and Providence had thus laid a 
foundation of robust strength, mental vigor, and of daunt- 



OF GODLY ANCESTRY. 11 

less courage, exactly suited to a noble, lofty, broad and 
independent ministry. A child of such practical and pro- 
gressive generations, it was no wonder that his nature 
could not endure the sham and sentiment which abound 
so in our day. He was so thoroughly practical and utili- 
tarian that even innocent ornament must only attract to 
something useful and worth while. 

Here is a brief tribute which he himself pays to these 
godly parents and their faithful training. " My parents 
and my grandparents were all of the highest type of re- 
ligious people. Two of my grandparents were ministers 
and one of them died in a foreign land while on a religious 
mission. My father was an elder in the church, a man of 
devout and sterling piety, while my saintly mother was 
a preacher of the glorious Gospel that she loved so much 
and understood so well. They read and believed in Pres- 
ident Finney, and he was their personal friend ; but his 
Caleb-like spirit and full gospel were forty years in ad- 
vance of our Israel ; and in consequence, stoning with 
stones (Num. 14 : 10) was a common occupation in those 
days, and not wholly a lost art in this. 

' ' Their greatest desire for their children was that they 
might glorify God in this life, and enjoy Him forever. 
I cannot doubt that I was solemnly given to God from 
my birth. My infant lips were taught to pra3^ and when 
I said, — 

' Now I lay me down to sleep, 
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,' 

I really expected Him to do it. 

"The prayers, restraints and instructions of faithful 
parents were not lost upon me. God had respect unto 
their covenant for their children. I see it now as I could 
not then." 



1^ MEMOIR OP DAVID B, VPDBGRAF^, 

His respect for his mother's character and memory was 
exceedingly loving and beautiful. He had, by a quick, 
characteristic intuitiveness, discerned in his bo^^hood that 
she was called upon to suffer some things for conscience' 
sake and for the Gospel. This had touched sj^mpathetic 
cords in his great heart ; and we think we often saw him 
when he seemed to gain a fresh animation and inspira- 
tion in his mighty efforts to free the captives and break 
the shackles of ecclesiastical bondage, b)'' the recollection 
of the way this saintly mother was sometimes hedged in, 
misunderstood, and called upon to suffer by those whom 
she sought to bless with her ministrJ^ 

As a boy, he was bright, intelligent, affectionate and 
of very strong will ; apt, athletic, exuberant, mischiev- 
ous, full of force. As he grew, the "old man" (his 
own favorite phrase in speaking of carnality) and he 
increased, according to his own testimony, "in sinful- 
ness and rebellion." His guarded and religious bring- 
ing up, however, was a Providential hedge and protec- 
tion to him, for he never fell into gross immorality 
or vice of any kind. Yet the unfaltering witness of the 
Holy Spirit was present to reprove him, and to bring him 
into condemnation for the sins which he did commit. He 
was often led into distress of soul on this account, and 
would earnestly pray for forgiveness, and renew his cove- 
nants with the lyord, which, however, were too frequently 
broken. 

As a young man he became zealous of the law, and 
zealous also for the maintenance of the peculiarities of 
his denomination. That is to say, he tended strongly 
towards both legalism and sectarianism, which is all the 
more worth3^ of note here, since, as we shall have frequent 
occasions to see, later, his sanctified life and ministry 



OF GODLY ANCESTRY. 13 

waged a most heroic and unrelenting warfare against all 
such bondage and narrowness. 

He was an earnest legalist before he knew the Gospel. 
He was a servant before he was a son. He tarried long 
at Mt. Sinai which gendereth to bondage. He kept Ish- 
mael in the house with Hagar to take care of him for 
several years before Isaac was born. In his case, as in 
thousands of others, the law was his " Schoolmaster to 
bring him to Christ." 

Is it not strange how men may live in the twilight of a 
past dispensation, and how few know the high noon of 
their own day ? - Many in the church have died with no 
better and no different type of religion than David Upde- 
graff had in these days of his young manhood. Indeed, 
many are living beneath these Sinaitic clouds and within 
sound of these rumbling thunders now, with scarcely a 
suspicion that the Gospel has anything better for them. 
Moreover, there are ministers and some theologians who 
will maintain that such is the standard Christian experi- 
ence, and they will run to the seventh chapter of Romans 
to find what they think is a Christian refuge for ' the sin 
that dwelleth in them,' for the "ups" and " downs" of 
their religious life, and for the wretchedness of their 
state. David Updegraff, with this freedom from gross 
sins, and with this zeal for the law, and especially for 
the traditions of his forefathers, would have been cited 
by many as an exemplary Christian, and his failures and 
sorrows only as further proof of that fact, whereas, we 
shall find, that the light of the Gospel brought him to see 
for himself that he was yet a stranger to the saving grace 
of God. We think there may be whole denominations of 
professing Christians in the same state. We are sure 
there are many individuals in all the denominations who 



14 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

are in exactly this condition. It is time an alarm was 
sounded everywhere. We believe the doctrine of Assur- 
ance should be preached from every pulpit, and the ex- 
perimental knowledge of salvation urged upon every 
heart, as the only conclusive test of the genuineness and 
safety of one's spiritual condition. David Updegraff de- 
voted much of his subsequent ministry to this very class, 
the Jews within the church. His early experiences had 
ably qualified him to distinguish them from the heathen 
world upon the one hand, and from real Christians upon 
the other. Not only are there many of God's true people 
in the Wilderness, but whole tribes of them are yet in 
Egypt. Distinct they are, from the Egyptians, yet they 
have never had a personal Exodus, nor a crossing of the 
Red Sea. They have never heard the music of Miri- 
am's song, nor joined in its chorus. Some of them are 
"making bricks," with which to build up ecclesiastical 
monuments or sectarian walls. Any efforts they make 
to extricate themselves or to improve their condition 
results in greater rigor of their task-masters, and even 
in the withdrawal of their usual supply of straw. But 
their cry is coming up to God. Deliverance will come. 
The night seems to darken over a soul at this stage, but 
the day is at hand. David UpdegrafF was not only not 
to remain in bondage, but he was to become the champion 
and leader of liberty to his own people and to many. 



CHAPTER III. 

HIS CONVERSION. 
" This man was born there." — Ps. 87 : 4. 

TO some it may seem strange to talk of the conver- 
sion of one who is already a strict moralist and a 
zealous religionist. Indeed, to some it gives serious 
offense. Yet it was to just such a man —prudent, proper, 
learned and influential in the church — that Jesus said : 
*' Ye must be born again." Salvation is not the natural 
inheritance of any man; neither is ]/i the rightful com- 
pensation of any works ; nor is it the product of an evo- 
lution, or a culture of character. David Updegraff did 
inherit a birthright membership in the Society of Friends, 
and this he never despised. But he did not thereby in- 
herit a place in the invisible kingdom of Christ ; and any 
perversion of birthright membership that would make 
such a claim for it, he faithfully disclaimed and with- 
stood. He did no doubt inherit susceptibilities to spirit- 
uality, but not spirituality itself Just as he inherited 
large capacities and capabilities — physical and intellectual 
— for the great work to which he was called; but no anoint- 
ing or energising therefor came to him by any natural 
processes or generations. 

The children of pious parents owe much to their 
home influences, precedents and pedigree, but no parent 



16 MEMOIR OF DAVID B, UPDEGRAFF. 

provides an atonement with which to purchase life for 
the soul of his child, nor do any possess the power of 
propagating the seed of God. * ' That which is born of the 
flesh is flesh; " from which we are to understand that the 
offspring of natural generation is carnal in its moral con- 
dition, and, at best, but furnishes a natural base for the 
operation of the grace of God. Spiritual life is, in every 
case, *' that which is born of the Spirit ; " a divine beget- 
ting ; a being born again^ which implies subsequency to, 
as well as distinctness from, natural birth. 

It is a confusing mistake if we use the term * * Conver- 
sion " in an exact or theological sense, for us to limit its 
application to the heathen, or gross sinners on the one 
hand, or to restrict it to the mere changing of one's 
course by a repenting act of the will, upon the other. 
Most properly, it is in a Christian sense, a synonym for 
the new birth just spoken of, and the two are very often 
used interchangeably. In so using them, however, it 
must be borne in mind that man's natural state and rela- 
tion is such that there is a barrier — philosophical and 
judicial — in the way of the influx of this new life into his 
soul. Consequently, as the love of God cannot be pro- 
duced by a mere volition of man, so neither can prayer 
for the new birth avail, which does not take this barrier 
into account, and suitably meet the conditions for its re- 
moval. That barrier is guilt, and as a consequence, 
" remission of sins " is the objective point which the Gos- 
pel holds before the awakened soul. This, too, though 
it is by no means the same thing as the new birth, is, 
nevertheless, synonomous with conversion. That is to 
say, conversion includes the work of pardon for us and 
the work of regeneration in us. The sinner under con- 
viction rarely seeks either adoption into God's family or 



HIS CONVERSION, 17 

regeneration by God's grace, but nearly always the forgive- 
ness of his sins in Jesus' name. This is surely the case 
where sin in its sinfulness with its penalty and the peril 
of the sinner is faithfully preached. Where these are not 
earnestly brought out, and souls are simply exhorted to 
seek a sense of acceptance or a consciousness of God's 
love, without due consideration of the cause of their con- 
demnation or the barrier to divine love, the result is gen- 
erally superficial, unsatisfactory and often spurious. 

Yes we say *' spurious." And were the subject of this 
memoir present to speak as of old, he would expose the 
artificiality and deceptiveness of many so-called conversions 
of this day. Unlike his own, they are unattended by pen- 
itential tears. Their strongest element seems to be their 
own resolution to lead a new life (and ofttimes this is 
very weak). Their best assurance is the subsiding of 
their temporarily aroused emotional grief, or the comfort- 
ing announcement of some one in charge that they are 
converted or that they are " all right now." Others are 
not at all converted to God, but to some one of the 
churches or to some mode of baptism or to something 
else as relatively insignificant. Real conversion is con- 
version of God, and unto God. It is a divine work, 
bringing the soul into harmony with the divine law, and 
into participation in the divine love and to a place in the 
divine family. 

The circumstances attending David Updegraff's con- 
version were these : It was in a Methodist Church in the 
town where he lived and where he had grown up. The 
"protracted meeting" had developed into a good old- 
fashioned revival of religion. The community was much 
stirred, and many of all classes were being awakened and 
saved. Notwithstanding the conservative type which 



18 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

the dominant churches of the place gave to it, it seemed 
that everything was moving as by a moral earthquake. 
David attended these meetings. He had previously been 
undergoing much conflict and unrest, under his legalism, 
and in face of his many failures and mortifications. The 
meeting was calculated to define and intensify his con- 
victions. He began first to suspect, and then to see that 
something was radically wrong. Hitherto he thought 
it had been simply carelessness, lack of regularity in his 
devotions, weakness in executing his resolutions, etc., 
and that his only remedy was more bricks and less straw. 
But now, as Saul was met on the way to Damascus, so 
was he met. He says, "God met me in wondrous 
power." He was now more than thirty years of age, was 
married and settled in life, had a place in the church by 
birthright and a strengthening position in it by zeal and 
works. Yet God chose neither the secret of his closet 
nor the circle of his family nor the gatherings of his own 
Society as the place for this wondrous meeting, but this 
Methodist revival. Was this predictive of the broaden- 
ing interdenominational fields which he was to enter? 
Or was it simply illustrative of the blessings and divine 
greetings which await many souls just over the walls of 
their own sectarian bounds ? 

Some sort of a denominational amalgamation .or re- 
vival work would greatly help the cause of Christ and the 
salvation of souls. Not that imitative unity which is 
sometimes affected, but which is as feeble in its results 
as it is farcial in its composition, but real downright 
amalgamation of the tribes of Israel for the purposes of 
holy warfare. 

Hear now his own words : "I met the test of public 
confession of sins and need of a Savior. It was a hard 



HIS CONVERSION. 19 

struggle, for I was proud and stubborn, but my dear wife 
joined me at the penitent's form, and we mingled our 
tears and prayers together. I thank God to this day for 
the depth and pungency of old-fashioned conviction. 
Rebellion against God was seen and felt to be the awful 
and damning thing that it is. 

" I was glad to submit to God, and to agree to His 
terms — any terms — in order to have peace with Him." 

We pause here a moment in the midst of this narra- 
tive to emphasize attention upon the pungency of his 
conviction and the thoroughness of his repentance. 
Notwithstanding his character and standing, he was 
made to see and to feel his " rebellion against God," and 
to know its "damning" character. He encountered 
both "stubbornness" and "pride" in the way of his 
surrender, but felt that the test was upon him to make 
public confession of his sins, and of his need of a Savior. 
Yet they will tell us that such ** conviction is a thing of 
the past," or that it is "only experienced by gross and 
hardened sinners like the Philippian jailer." We vent- 
ure the opinion that Saul of Tarsus, Pharisee as he was, 
felt conviction as deeply as did the jailer referred to. 
And here we find a precise, proud, prominent Quaker 
writhing in the agony of convicting grace, and crying 
with tears and groans for God's pardoning mercy. Oh, 
that Zion might travail more that she might bring forth ! 
Oh, that seekers might be allowed to struggle more in 
prayer for themselves, and talked to less than they are 
at many altars ! 

Let us follow David to his home that night. He adds : 
" But the witness of the Spirit did not come, and after all 
others had retired, I had it out with my Lord in the 
silent watches of the night, upon my library floor ; and 



20 MEMOIR OF DA VI D B. UPDEGRAFF. 

as people sometimes say, I was converted through and 
through, a7id I kiiciu it. I was free as a bird. Justified 
by faith, I had peace with God. His Spirit witnessed 
with my spirit that I was born again." The last run in 
this race for life is usually made by the soul alone with 
God. The Spirit lets others help lead them up the ap- 
proach to the gate that lets them into the kingdom, but 
He has a divine jealousy to conduct each one himself 
into the presence of Jesus and introduce the soul to its 
Lord and Savior. Much damage may be done by a fail- 
ure to trust the Holy Spirit for His ofl&ce work at this 
point. It is better, as an altar service closes, to have 
unsatisfied persons freely state their condition than to 
precipitate them into a confession or testimony. 

David's public confession, we see here, was followed by 
private importunity in the still hours of the night alone 
with God. He was seeking salvation — a salvation that 
might be known. He at length became willing to pay 
the price. He would no longer argue about the "terms." 
Man's covenant with God is of the nature of a consent to 
God's conditions of peace and salvation. Submission 
only is the cost of pardon to us. The sacrifice which 
has purchased it has been made by another. Oh, how 
hard it is for some men to surrender and sink down into 
simple trust ! But how ample is the reward ! "I was 
converted through and through." ** I knew it." "I was 
free as a bird." " I had peace with God." "" His Spirit 
witnessed. ' ' Glory ! 

We shall notice him now in the experience and life 
which follow. No doubt had there been some one then 
to lead him at once up into the ' ' fullness of the blessing 
of the Gospel of Christ," he would joyfully have followed 
on into the ' ' more excellent way," Few young converts 



HIS CONVEliSWN, '1\ 

now have the privilege the Gospel entitles them to of 
knowing at once that it is their privilege to receive the 
promise of the Father in the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
The result is, that few retain a normal experience of 
Justification. For it is the fixed law of grace to condi- 
tion the maintenance of what land we possess upon the 
earnest effort to procure additional territory. No pre- 
sentation of Remission of Sins by Jesus' Blood is com- 
plete which does not leave the soul in confident expecta- 
tion of the further and fuller work of grace which John 
called the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire. 

David Updegraff goes on to say : " I was at once a glad 
and willing witness to the power of Jesus to save. For a 
time I was faithful and obedient. Then came wayward- 
ness, neglect and disobedience. This brought severe 
chastening and suffering from the hand of the Lord, fol- 
lowed by restoration of soul. My consecration to His 
service was renewed from time to time. I longed to see 
God glorified in the salvation of souls and the liberation 
of the church. Several years had passed since I had 
found the liberty of the sons of God ; and yet I had seen 
but few brought into the kingdom. To be sure, I was 
only a business man, and was utterly averse to the idea of 
being a minister, but greatly desired to serve both God 
and men in a quiet and unobtrusive way. The church 
began to lay some work upon me, but I shrank from it 
with a deep sense of unfitness." 

lyooking at this frank and full statement, what a pho- 
tograph we find in it of many of the sons and daughters 
of God ! Indeed, as some have now read it, they have 
said silently, if not audibly, "That's my experience 
exactly." They " run well for a season," as he did, but 
then like him they grew "careless, wayward, neglectful 



22 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

and disobedient." They suffer, therefore, the chasten- 
ings of the Lord; they are not utterly cut off; not 
wholly backslidden; they have not sinned unto death; 
they find yet in Christ their sacrifice for sins. But 
they are rebuked and judged of the Lord; some by 
the withdrawal of the comforts of His grace, others 
by the removal of the comforts of His providence, and 
many by deprivations, both in the realm of grace and in 
that of Providence. But they repent, they renew their 
vows, they revive their zeal, they take another start. 
Yet they are unfruitful in the knowledge of God, at least 
comparatively so. They have no stars for their crowns 
of rejoicing. They are gathering no sheaves for the 
great harvest day. They are sensible of buried talents. 
They shirk responsibilities. They miss opportunities. 
They have a growing sense of ill- adjustment to God 
within and to His providential dealings without. The 
coming of their Lord loses much of the attractiveness 
with which it should be anticipated by God's children, 
for they fear He will not find them faithful stewards, 
giving his household meat in due season. 

If these defects and difficulties of Christian life, so 
general and so serious, could be mastered and corrected 
at all, by natural means, or by ordinary Christian growth, 
we think it quite probable that they would have been so 
disposed of in the case of David Updegraff. We are 
prone, sometimes, to charge them to the fickleness of 
youth; but he was a man of mature years, and " settled 
in life." We think that all they need is strength of 
character to hold on their way; but he was a man of 
unusual physical, mental and moral force, with an indom- 
itable will. Many believe that the Christian will out- 
grow these things and become established; but alas! alas! 



HIS CONVERSION. 23 

these things outgrow him ofttimes, and he becomes estab- 
lished in his besetments and in his habits of failing and 
falling, and what is quite as bad, in pessimistic views as 
to the probability of ever doing better. No. As David 
Updegraff's life and experience have demonstrated that 
spiritual life is not begun by a natural generation, so 
have his experience and life demonstrated that spiritual 
life is not perfected in its satisfactions or in its equip- 
ments by natural strength nor by laws of natural life 
applied to spiritual growth. It is true in this as in other 
things that it is " not by might, nor by power, but by 
my Spirit, saith the I^ord." 



CHAPTER IV. 

HIS ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 

" And he called tlie name of the place Peniel, for I have seen 
God face to face, and my life is preserved." — Gen. 32 : 30. 

THIS is the most momentous thing we have to record 
in connection with David B. Updegraff. Not be- 
cause of remarkable attendant phenomena, but because 
of its subjective results in his own character, and its rel- 
ative bearings upon his work and ministry. It is safe 
to affirm that the world and the church at large would 
never have known him but for this mighty work of 
grace. It is quite certain that many men and women of 
marked talents and ability are never known and used for 
lack of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. Their talents 
are buried in napkins ; and many of them come to enter- 
tain hard thoughts about their Master, as did the wicked 
and slothful servant. True, his natural force of char- 
acter might have won him distinction in lines of business, 
or ways of the world. True, too, that the first work of 
grace had begun to draw out his heart in affectionate de- 
sire and in loving efforts to be, in some way, a blessing 
to those around him. But David Updegraff, the preacher, 
pastor, evangelist, champion of religious liberty, religious 
author and editor, was not born until that memorable 
night when he passed over into the Canaan of Perfect 
Love. 

(24) 



HIS ENTIRE SANCriFICATION. 25 

In a sense not intended by the original, his case dem- 
onstrated that there were " giants in that land." Certain 
it is that there were battles of the I^ord which he fought — 
a valiant, aggressive warfare, in which he had never en- 
listed, nor could ever have waged a successful fight, 
until he received the power of the Holy Ghost coming 
upon him. 

We are disposed to linger here because of the import- 
ance of this matter, as it affects thousands of Christians 
all around us, and indeed, the general type of the Chris- 
tianity of our times. It will be found in David Upde- 
graff's history that a man can have the average experi- 
ence of converted men, and yet be a cipher (compara- 
tively, at least) in God's work, without the blessing of 
entire sanctification ; though evidently meant and called 
of God to do a great Providential work. 

It is safe to believe that few Christians find their true 
calling iintil they have found this great blessing, and that 
many live misspent lives for lack of it. 

It is to be remembered, too, that the type of the Chris- 
tian work to which this man of God devoted himself was 
entirely above and beyond that which engages the zeal of 
many of our most active Christians. No doubt much that 
is built on Christ these days, is of the nature of "wood, 
and hay, and stubble " — not wrong or useless things, but 
things which will, nevertheless, not stand fire, and are 
not calculated for eternal endurance. But he gave him- 
self and all his ransomed powers to the ' ' gold and silver 
and precious stones. ' ' He was not diverted to the ma- 
terial, civil or physical aspects of Christian work. The 
work of actual salvation, and of spiritual upbuilding mo- 
nopolized his head and heart and hand. 
., What is to be distinctly noted is, that in seeking this 



2fi MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

blessing, it was not the objective, but the subjective, 
which engaged his attention. That is, he sought not 
with reference to public work or enduement for service, 
but with reference, solely, to personal experience and 
state of heart. This is of great interest, since it furnishes 
us an instance of sanctification sought for its own sake. 
Holiness wanted because God is hoi 3% and not because 
holiness would make him great or wise or mighty. 

Much that is emphasized by mau}^ as the sole or main 
feature of the promised baptism with the Holy Ghost, is 
at best meant to be only secondary; often it is only inci- 
dental. But David Updegraff was under conviction for 
the thing itself, and for the very heart of it, at that. 
Cloven tongues as of fire, rushing mighty winds, etc., 
were of no account to him, save onlj^ as he came the bet- 
ter to interpret and apply their symbolic meaning. Gifts 
of tongues, or knowledge, or healing, or miracle work- 
ing, were not what he followed after, but that Charity 
which embraces all the graces and completes the sym- 
metry of Christian character and experience. Men now, 
as in Paul's time, make the mistake of preferring gifts to 
grace. The}- seek the showy before the saving. They 
imagine that God is more concerned in what they are to 
do for Him than what they are to be. Sanctification deals 
first with being, rather than doing. 

We hear now^ his own testimony. 

' * I determined to have a meeting where the Lord should 
have right of way, and the practical work of soul saving 
be done. Accordingh', vay house was opened to all who 
would come to evening meetings, during our yearly meet- 
ing week in 1869. Our parlors were filled with earnest 
people, and without were those who were watching and 
waiting to see whereuiito this would grow. The Script- 



HIS ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 27 

ures were read, prayers offered, hymns were sung, testi- 
monies were given and souls were blessed. But it was 
all unusual and quite irregular in those days. We had 
live meetings, and living things are always irregular, 
while dead things never are. I began to learn what real 
loyalty to God was to cost, and that if really led by the 
Spirit of God, according to His word, reproaches and other 
like blessings that Jesus had promised, would become a 
reality. 

* ' In conducting a few of these meetings, I learned a 
great deal of myself. I was somewhat troubled by the 
people and the circumstances around me, but I discovered 
one ' old man ' who gave me more trouble than all the 
others, and he was within me. ' His deeds ' had been 
put off, and truly there was * no condemnation,' but 
whenever I ' would do good, ' he was present with me. 
His omnipresence was something wonderful to my open- 
ing eyes. And he was there, to ' war against the law of 
sin.' If he succeeded, even partially, I was humbled 
and grieved, and if he did not succeed, I was in distress 
with fear lest he might. Some special incidents were 
greatly blessed to me. I began to see quite clearly, that 
the 'law was weak through the flesh.' I hated pride, 
ambition, evil tempers and vain thoughts, but I hadWi^xw 
and they were a part of me. They were not acts to be 
repented of and forgiven at all, but dispositions lying be- 
hind the acts and prompting thereto, natural to the * old 
man ' and inseparable from his presence jn my being. 

"I began to cry to God' to 'cast him out.' As I did 
this, there came a great ' hunger and thirst after righte- 
ousness,' that I might be ' filled with all the fullness of 
God.' My new nature speedily developed wonderful apt- 
itude for 'holiness.' I longed for a 'clean heart and a 



28 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

right spirit,' and this yearning increased until one mem- 
orable evening, after the close of the series of meetings 
referred to, when a few of us met at my sister's for prayer 
and conference. Up to this time I had never heard a 
straight sermon on holiness, nor read a treatise upon it, 
nor seen any one who claimed the experience for himself. 
It had never occurred to me that I had not received the 
Holy Ghost since I believed. Knowing as much of the 
w^ork of the blessed Spirit upon my heart as I undoubtedly 
had, I supposed, as a matter of course, that I had been 
' baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire.' His crea- 
tive work in regeneration, and His destructive work in 
sanctifi cation, are distinctions of great importance, but 
not clearly seen by me at that time. And I might have 
answered much as the Ephesians answered Paul in Acts 
19 : 2, had I been asked the same question. I had not 
even heard of such an experience. But there was present 
with us a brother who had heard that grand and daunt- 
less herald of the cross, John S. Inskip, and his noble 
band of compeers at Round I^ake. And he earnestly told 
us of their wonderful meetings, and preaching of conse- 
cration and holiness. It was only a spark of God's fire 
that was needed to kindle into a flame the sacrifice that 
was placed upon His altar. As I went upon my knees, 
it was with the resolute purpose of ' presenting my body 
a living sacrifice to God,' and of proving His word that 
the ' altar sanctifieth the gift.' But I speedily found mj^- 
self in the midst of a severe conflict. There passed 
quickly and clearly before me every obstacle to entire 
consecration, and 'a life hid with Christ in God.' How 
the ' old man ' plead for his life ! The misapprehensions, 
suspicions, sneers and revilings of carnal professors were 
all pictured before me, and they were not exaggerations, 



HIS ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 29 

either Selfishness, pride and prejudice all rose in rebel- 
lion, and did their utmost. But I could not, would not 
draw back. Every ' vile affection ' was resolutely nailed 
to the cross. Denominational standing, family, business, 
reputation, friends, time, talent and earthly store, were 
quickly and irrevocably committed to the sovereign con- 
trol and disposal of ni}^ Almighty Savior. It came to be 
easy to trust Him, and I had no sooner reckoned myself 
' dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God,' than the 
'Holy Ghost fell upon me,' just as I supposed He did 
' at the beginning. ' 

" Instantly I felt the melting and refining fire of God 
permeate my whole being. Conflict was a thing of the 
past. I had entered into 'rest.' I was nothing and no- 
body, and was glad that it was settled that way. It was 
a luxury to get rid of ambitions. The glory of the Lord 
shone round about me, and for a little season, I was ' lost 
in wonder, love and praise.' I was deeply conscious of 
the presence of God within me, and of His sanctifying 
work. Nothing seemed so sweet as His will, His law 
written in the heart after the chaff had been burned out. 
It was no effort to realize that I loved the I^ord with all 
my heart, and mind and strength, and my neighbor as 
mySelf. My calmness and absolute repose in God was a 
wonder to me. But I cannot describe it all. It was a 
'weight of glory.' 

* O matchless bliss of perfect love, 
It lifts me up to things above.' " 

We shall here take the liberty of analyzing this exper- 
ience for the benefit of our readers. 

We notice, first, the circumstances under which he felt 
this deep conviction. 'Twas "In conducting a few of 
these meetings." These were meetings, let it be remem- 



oO MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

])ered, improvised by himself and designed to "let the 
Lord have right of way that the practitical work of soul- 
sa\dng should be done." They w^ere held at his own 
house, and \ve infer from some of the foregoing remarks, 
at the cost of some disapproval from those who esteemed 
ever>^thing that ^vas alive to be irregular and unallowable. 
He evidentlj^, then, w^as neither unconverted nor back- 
slidden. The fire of Christian love was burning in his 
bones and making its own vent. 

He is eyiabled to locate his trouble. What a mercy it is 
when one is enabled to do this. I learned a great deal of 
myself. I was somewhat troubled b)^ the people and cir- 
cumstances round me, but I discovered an 'old man' who 
gave me more trouble than all the others, and he was 
within me. ' ' This is conviction of inbred sin. And 
how clearly defined the type of his con\dction was. He 
adds, "His deeds had been put off, and trul}- there was 
no condemnation, but whenever I would do good he was 
present with me; His omnipresence was something won- 
derful to my opening ej'es. ' ' 

Prayer for purity follows. "I began to cry to God to 
cast him out." The Jew's departing wail was, "O 
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this 
body of death?" But one moved b}- Christian faith -has 
more hope and cries out in strong desire: 

" Break oflf the yoke of inbred sin 
And fully set my spirit free ; 
I cannot rest till pure within, 
Till I am wholh' lost in thee." 

No accurate definition of his case. "It had never oc- 
curred to me that I had not received the Holy Ghost 
since I believed. His creative w^ork in regeneration, and 
His destructive work in sanctification are distinctions of 



HIS ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 31 

great importance, but not clearly seen by me at that time. " 
We sliould remember this in dealing with other souls. 
Distinctions which are very clear to us now w^ere not 
always so, and they may not be so to many who are seek- 
ing this grace. Nor is this clear definition of things in 
their minds and on their tongues, to be exacted as a con- 
dition of their receiving the grace. Doubtless it may 
greatly aid them; but no doubt, too, that many cross over 
into the land before they have mastered its geography. 

Providential help siipplied. The same sovereign love 
that sent Philip to minister Ught to the inquiring eunuch, 
will never let any seeking soul perish for lack of help. 
An Ananias must go to Saul of Tarsus, "for behold he 
prayeth." Cornelius shall learn from Peter what he 
shall do, for his prayers and his alms have come up as a 
memorial before God. So this earnest man, whose heart 
has been uncovered by the search light of the Spirit and 
who is now crying to be "washed and made whiter than 
snow," is not forsaken. "There was present with us a 
brother who had heard that grand and dauntless herald of 
the cross, John S. Inskip. He earnestl}^ told us of their 
wonderful meetings and preaching of consecration and 
holiness. It w^as only a spark of God's fire that was 
needed to kindle into a flame the sacrifice that was placed 
upon His altar." We pause to remark that there is a 
certain incompleteness and measure of imperfection in all 
human helps on matters of salvation and spiritual life. 
We have sometimes wished that this were not so, and that 
we ourselves might be able to perfectly present the truth 
and adapt it to needy souls. But we feel otherwise now. 
We believe that God means to employ men as a scaffold- 
ing only in building up the temple of Holiness in other 
men's hearts. He is jealous of His own glory as their 



32 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

personal Savior; and jealous, too, of their faith, that it 
should stand in the power of God alone and not at all in 
the wisdom of man; that "Christ may be all and in all." 
We have heard Bro. Updegraff speak of this man, that he 
was neither a preacher nor yet quite a witness of this 
great salvation, but only a carrier of the news of what 
others were doing and saying and believing and receiving. 
An imperfect help in himself, but a sufficient help to give 
directness and intensity to David's prayer. 

''I went up07i my hiees'^ Remember, beloved, he had 
never heard a sermon on Holiness in his life, and yet, 
with the con\dction of his own heart, and the message of 
a passing friend, he hurries to the Lord to complete "the 
great transaction." He adds: "It was with the resolute 
purpose of presenting my body a living sacrifice to God, 
and of proving His word, that the altar sanctifieth the 
gift." 

Now it is evident that the mental assent and consent to 
these things which some persons think is Consecration, 
and w^hich they say they "do over and over again," is 
quite- a shallow thing compared with what David Updegraff 
passed through on this eventful night. Hear again what 
he says about it: ^'/speedily foiind myself in the 7nidst of 
a severe conflict. There passed quickly and clearly before 
me every obstacle to entire consecration. How the 'old 
man' plead for his life. The misapprehension, suspicion, 
sneers and revilings of carnal professors were all pictured 
before me. Selfishness, pride and prejudice all rose in 
rebellion and did their utmost. But I could not, would 
not draw back. Every 'vile affection' was resolutely 
nailed to the cross. Denominational standing, famil}'^, 
business, reputation, friends, time, talents and earthly 
store were quickly and irrevocably committed to the sov- 



HIS ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 33 

ereign control of my Almighty Savior. ' ' This ends his 
consecration, which is the human side of sanctification ; 
but only the human side. We reason that none but 
Christians are capable of it. We conclude, both from the 
language of Scripture and from the testimony of those 
who have presented their bodies in entreaty thus, that it 
means "sacrifice" — a sacrifice that is felt at the time and 
tested in time to come. This sacrifice is felt in propor- 
tion to the ardor of the self life before the surrender is 
made, and in proportion to the ardor of the spiritual life 
after it is made. Paul ''counted all things loss" and then 
went on to suffer the loss of all things. Yet he esteemed 
them as refuse in comparison with the prize which he 
sought. Consecration thus furnishes no ground for self- 
complacency. It "is our reasonable service. ' ' Obedience 
to the command and spirit of consecration, however, 
brings the soul to a place where difficulties in the way of 
sanctifyi7ig faith are removed. He says: "It came to be 
easy to trust Him and I had no sooner reckoned myself 
"dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God," than the 
Holy Ghost fell upon me. ' ' 

And now he describes the experience which followed: 
"Instantly I felt the melting and refining fire of God per- 
meate my whole being. Conflict was a thing of the past. 
I had entered into rest. I was nothing and nobody, and 
glad it was settled that way." For a little season I was 
'lost in wonder, love and praise. ' ' ' 

" Nothing seemed so sweet as His law." " It was no 
effort to realize that I loved the lyord with all my heart 
and mind and strength, and my neighbor as myself." 
We note a few points of this experience. It was instan- 
taneous; "instantly" is the word he uses. It inaugu- 
rated an end of the struggles of the wilderness; " Conflict 



34 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

was a thing of the past." It was subject of conscious- 
ness, both as to the presence of God and as to the work 
in himself. It was not only an emotion, but an experi- 
ence of righteousness; " nothing so sweet as His law." 
After all this, it was still i7idescribable. " It was a weight 
of glory." 

He at once felt the obligation of testimony. As it is 
written, "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy 
Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto 
me." Those who advocate the retention of such an expe- 
rience in silence only, and the withholding of personal 
testimony to it, are either ignorant or forgetful of under- 
lying principles and laws of grace in general, and of this 
grace in particular. For ' ' with the heart man believeth 
unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is inade 
imto salvation.'' The confession of the mouth is as nec- 
essary in its order as the faith of the heart. Moreover, 
one must \iolate laws of nature as well as laws of grace, 
thus to check or choke the outpouring of his soul's grati- 
tude and joy; for " for out of the abundance of the heart 
the mouth speaketh." 

David Updegraff's feeling was that of an inability to 
conceal it. He could not but speak the things which he 
had seen and heard revealed and spoken to his soul. He 
says : * * When I rose from my knees I was constrained to 
speak of what God had wrought, the best I knew how. 
The people looked so different. I had new eyes. I felt 
so different that I examined myself to see if I was the 
same person. When the next day I rode out upon my 
farm, I felt that every acre belonged to God, and that 
I was only a tenant at will. The hills and fields and 
flocks and trees were all more beautiful as they clapped 
their hands in praise to God." 



HIS ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION. 35 

The reader is now asking, perhaps, "Did it lastf 
Man}^ indeed, who do not doubt God's abiUty and will- 
ingness to sanctify, nevertheless, hesitate to be sanctified, 
lest they might not be able to " keep it " and " hold out." 
They think they could trust God's present power, but fear 
to venture out upon His preserving grace. For, to be 
" sanctified wholly " is one thing, and to be "preserved 
blameless " is another. The one is conditioned upon an 
act of faith, the other upon a habit of faith. The one is 
the direct and immediate work of the Spirit's baptism, 
the other is the continued faithfulness of the Indwelling 
Comforter. None can live upon a past experience, not 
even an experience so bright and clear as this of David 
Updegraff's. He never depended upon that blessing for 
his present salvation. It is no more lawful to idolize an 
experience than to worship a god of stone. Christian life 
is not sustained either by recollection or by anticipation, 
but by faith : " The just shall live by faith." 

He says upon this point : * ' The special experience just 
related is now twenty-three years in the past, and might 
be a dead and forgotten thing, but moment by 7noment the 
blood has cleansed, a7id the Spirit has indwelt, iti answer 
to a perpetuated faith and obedience to GodV "During 
all these j^ears the mode of my life, which was inaugu- 
rated in that hour, when I received the baptism wdth the 
Holy Ghost, has been totally different from that which 
preceded it. It began a new era in my Christian life. I 
have had abundant time and occasion to scrutize the real- 
ity and nature of the work wrought then and perpetuated 
ever since. I have often had such a sense of my own 
un worthiness and human imperfections as to be well- 
nigh overwhelmed. But then I had settled it that Jesus 
was my worthiness, and as to human or legal perfection, 



36 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

the Psalmist had seen the end of that long ago. In and 
of myself, I am neither holier nor stronger than before. 
What I am, I am by the grace of God. What I do, I do 
through Christ strengthening me." 

In closing this chapter, we would remark that, if his- 
tory furnished no parallels, and if Scripture gave us no 
precedents of such an epochal experience as this, we might 
be tempted to class it with the extraordinary gifts and 
qualifications with which God sometimes endows those 
whom He would set apart as chosen vessels for some spe- 
cial work. That is, we would list it with the prophetic 
gifts of the Old Dispensation, rather than as the supreme 
and universal grace of the New, intended for all believers- 
But the Spirit of God reveals the need of such a visitation 
in the life and experience of every truly converted person. 
The promises of the Gospel offer it to all such, while no- 
where presenting it to others. More are consenting now 
to " tarry at Jerusalem," in order to obtain this promise 
of the Father; and under such leaders as David Upde- 
graff came to be, this great privilege of the church is 
being emphasized and restored. Praise the name of the 
I.ord ! 



CHAPTER V. 

A GENUINE QUAKER. 
" So worship I the God of my fathers."— Acts 24 : 14. 

PERHAPS, Ijefore we go farther, in studying the life 
and character of this man of God, it will be well for 
us to remind our readers that, notwithstanding the broad 
catholicity of his character and ministry, David Upde- 
graff was preeminently and persistently a most loyal and 
representative Quaker. 

By rei:>resentative, we do not mean just at this time to 
allude to the high respect with which his own meeting 
honored him for so many years. He was representative 
in a higher sense than office and position always indicate. 
His character and conduct and course in public, social 
and private life were a living exposition of what true 
Quakerism is. And his fidelity to the church of his fore- 
fathers (and that from choice, rather than from any kind 
of necessity), may be taken as evidence of the high esteem 
in which he held that Society. 

The Friends' (or Quaker) church would be unparal- 
leled in the history of denominations if it were without 
deficiency or defect in its constitution, or without any 
marks of degeneration in its condition. No man was 
keener to discover these defects nor to detect these evi- 
dences of decline, and perhaps no man's spirit, mind and 



38 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFP. 

ministry could more effectually reprove these things than 
did his. Mark: We say the tone of his spirit, the Clirist- 
liness of his mind, and the type of his ministry reproved 
them; for we have rarely heard him in public refer to 
them. A sense of loving loyalty to his own church, like 
one feels for his own famil}^ withheld him from publish- 
ing her faults. But he insisted that he was none other 
than a genuine George Fox Quaker. And when the 
opinion was advanced that his aggressive, evangelical 
zeal, his freedom of conscience accorded to every man, 
with respect to the ordinances and other things, his zeal 
in preaching and promoting Holiness, fitted him better 
for the Methodist or some other church he would repudi- 
ate it with warmth, and shov^^, by reference to the stand- 
ards of his church that he held no other doctrine upon 
these things than that maintained and defended by Fox 
and Penn and Barclay and others. 

But his life in these particulars was in such bold con- 
trast with what had marked many individual Friends and 
man}^ Societies then (and some even yet) that it justly and 
keenl}' reproved them, so that in some quarters he was 
ait unacceptable Friend, even as his Master was an unac- 
ceptable Jew. Some of us, who had been reared in prox- 
imity to a fossilized and somewhat disintegrated Quaker- 
ism, would never have known what the real, living thing 
was, had it not been for the life and work of David Up- 
degraff . Wherever he has been and has worked (together 
with a few other blessed men and women of like spirit) 
we find the Friends' church to be different from what it 
is in places that barred the door upon this humble but 
mighty servant of God. Different in that their traditions 
and usages do not obtain an authorit}^ quite so proximate 
to that which belongs to the word of God. Different in 



A GENUINE QUAKER. 39 

that their primitive liberty of speech and conscience is 
less hampered by ecclesiastical edicts, declarations or any- 
thing resembling dogmatic creeds. Different in that ex- 
clusiveness has given way to evangelism; and where the}' 
once seemed to be solicitous only for their own protection 
and preservation, they are now zealous and active for 
others' salvation. Different in that theirabstinence from 
singing (which history shows began as a necessary guard 
against exposure of their place of meeting when the}' 
were under persecution) has given way to the singing of 
Psalmsand hymns and spiritual songs, as the Bible en- 
joins. DijBferent, too, in that their prejudice against an 
" hireling ministry " and a pastoral oversight has so far 
yielded, that men called to this Tvork are in some places 
receiving a measurable support to aid them in giving 
themselves wholly to it. 

In fact, the contrast between Friends where David has 
been, and those which neither he nor his influence has 
yet reached — and we mean only the orthodox Friends — 
is so marked and so sharpl}^ drawn, that one not at all 
conversant with their history might imagine they were 
different sects. But the truth is, that close and unbiased 
study will show that David Updegraff was nothing but 
a Quaker (in a denominational sense) excepting only 
that he was a Quaker ablaze with the same fiery baptism 
with the Holy Ghost which characterized the Friends in 
the days of their persecution, but which is lacking in 
many of them in the days of their persecuting. 

We might remark that a common conception of what 
Quakerism is, might be stated thus: The Quakers are a 
people of plain language and attire, of prudent and long 
lives, who believe in Jesus and the Atonement, but dis- 
card the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, 



40 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

and who regard the inner light as their guide, recommend 
meditation and silence as cardinal means of grace, and 
who only speak or act in public worship, as the Spirit 
moves them. This, we say, is a common, and, we sup- 
pose, quite excusable, though not, it may be, an accu- 
rate or complete description of the Friends. But to aid 
the readers to a more accurate and quite just view of the 
people called Quakers, we shall take a moment to glance 
at the condition of the Friends' church when David be- 
gan his revival work within its borders, and at a few of 
the historical steps leading up thereto. 

Two things especially characterize the teachings of 
George Fox and the early Friends. They were (1). The 
immediate operation of the Holy Spirit upon the human 
heart as an enlightener, awakener, reprover and, when 
5delded to, a converter; and (2), the entire sanctification 
of the believer through faith in Jesus Christ. And what 
they taught as a doctrine, they also claimed as an experi- 
ence. George Fox did not hesitate to assert that he was 
sanctified, because Christ his Savior had taken away his 
sin; and Robert Barclay-, in his apolog}^ for the Quakers, 
assures us that Christ's baptism with the Holy Ghost and 
fire burns up the unrighteous nature. A number of expres- 
sions have descended from early times as a stereotyped 
phraseology. Warnings against " creaturely activities" 
and invitations to get into the " silence of all flesh " were 
frequent in the sermons of Friends. These expressions, 
in their origin no doubt, had reference to real deadness to 
sin; but when the experience of deadness to sin had be- 
come a thing of the past, the expression still survived, 
the formality and ecclesiasticism too often accompanied 
them. The forms and the peculiarities were still cherished 
when the life had departed. Hence the church of the 



A GENUINE QUAKER. 41 

Friends, during the second century of its existence, con- 
tained, together with many excellect and spiritually- 
minded men and women a large percentage also, of formal 
professors — many of them zealous for the traditions of 
their denomination, but with very little spiritual life or 
discernment. 

This condition of things made it easy for the enemy of 
all good to sow the tares of heresy amongst the good seed 
of the Kingdom. In 1827 and 1828, a large secession, led 
by Elias Hicks, swept away from the ranks of the church 
quite one-third of its membership. Hicksism denied the 
Atonement, exalted the inner light to such an extent as 
to greatly undervalue the authority and inspiration of the 
Holy Scriptures, and in numerous other particulars was at 
variance with sound and orthodox Quakerism The dif- 
ference was vital, and separation was the only remedy. 

After this defection, orthodox Friends w^ere more dili- 
gent than the church as a whole had previousl}^ been in 
the perusal of the Scriptures. Many came to see clearly 
the way of salvation, and to proclaim it. But for thirty 
years after the Hicksite separation, there was no marked 
evangelistic effort made by the church, either for gather- 
ing in the unsaved at home, or for spreading the Gospel 
in foreign and heathen lands. Much formality and tra- 
ditionalism still existed among Friends, and these took 
active form in numerous separations during this period, 
and the setting up of numerous organizations known tech- 
nically as * * smaller bodies ' ' of Friends. The first oc- 
curred in New England Yearly Meeting, and was called, 
after its leader, the Wilburite Separation. A much larger 
secession occurred in Ohio Yearly Meeting. Smaller 
bodies were organized also in Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, New 
York and Canada. The grounds upon which these se- 



4-2 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

cessions occurred need not be entered into here. Suffice 
it that the ' ' smaller bodies ' ' were composed of conserv^- 
ative Friends, who held fast to the traditions of the elders 
and regarded everything new as an innovation. Hence 
they were opposed to singing and reading the Bible in 
meetings for worship, and stood quite aloof from all 
revival and missionary work, as savoring too much of 
" creaturely activity." 

It was not far from the middle of the present century 
when God began graciousl}- to pour out His Spirit upon 
the true evangelical Friends' church. It was somewhere 
in the fifties that John Henry Douglas, a young man not 
yet out of his teens, who had started from his father's 
house as a prodigal, was overtaken by a terrible storm at 
sea, and soundly converted on the deck of the ship; and 
at the first opportunity to land, left the vessel and returned 
home, when he began at once to preach the Gospel, and 
has been at it ever since. "Serus in ccelum redeat " — 
which my reader may translate, " Long may he live." 

Through the instrumentality of this gifted leader alone 
thousands of souls have been brought into the Kingdom. 

Betvv^een 1860 and 1869 a number of special revivals 
occurred in different localities in the Friends' church. 
One of the first was at Bangor, low^a. Another was at 
Walnut Ridge, Indiana, w^here many souls were saved, 
although, possibly in part because the church did not 
know how to deal with a genuine revival, a few of the 
converts Avere led a little too far towards a spirit of fanat- 
icism; and still another of remarkable power and extent 
at Richmond, Indiana. 

It will be seen from this hastj' sketch that the church 
was already, in a considerable measure, prepared for the 
labors of David B. Updegraff, who was baptized with the 



A GENUINE QUAKER. 43 

H0I3' Spirit, sanctified wholly, made perfect in, love, called 
to the ministry, and entered upon it, all in the year 1869. 
For the next twenty-five years he was indisputably the 
most prominent and ' ' conspicuous figure in the history 
of American Quakerism." His career was a marvelous 
one. His liberty in the Gospel was complete. His labors 
were "more abundant." He had a perfect passion for 
souls. No man loved wife or children or home more than 
he, yet for a quarter of a century it may be safely said 
lie spent more of his time away from home than at home. 
Whether in large assemblies or small, or in families or 
with individuals, it was ever his meat and drink to be 
winning souls to Christ; and in a single year, soon after 
his ministry began, he saw three thousand souls converted. 
Day and night, often to the neglect of needed repo.se, 
he was on the alert for the conversion of sinners and the 
sanctificatiou of believers. He would talk to a conductor, 
or a brakeman, or a sleeping-car porter, about his soul. 
He walked down Market street, in Philadelphia, and be- 
gan a conversation with a fish-woman, and in two or three 
minutes both were melted into tears. He would go into 
Friends' homes and get parents and children on their 
knees, and induce them to pray vocally to God. Many 
conversions of children occurred in those early days of 
his ministry, not only in the West, but in the East. He 
claimed and practiced the rig-ht to sing and to induce 
others to sing in meetings for worship. He read the Bible 
habitually in public gatherings. He first introduced the 
altar for prayer into Friends' revival and other meetings, 
and its use was fraught with blessings to thousands. 
Under the leadings of the Spirit he called on people by 
name and asked them to testify or pray. He was full of 
the Spirit, and out of him there flowed rivers of living 



44 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

water. Hundreds of dead, barren churches were enlivened 
and refreshed by this Uving water. I consider it entirel}- 
safe to say that he did more to revive the formal profes- 
sors of the Friend's church than any one individual had 
done since George Fox went to heaven, tw^o hundred 
years before him. 

But all this was ver^^ irregular, and formality and ec- 
clesiasticism are extremely hostile to all irregularity. So 
is death, which is eminently regular. David was perform- 
ing " the priestly service of a true Levite, who is bearing 
the ark of God some paces in advance of the rank and file of 
the slow marching church, that has much of its inheritance 
on the wilderness side of Jordan." Many of his best 
friends were unable to keep up with him, and many ' ' won- 
dered whereunto this would grow." By conservative 
Friends he was more and more regarded as a danger- 
ous innovator. But he was alwa^'s cheerful and happy 
and loving, and he kept right on with his work among 
the Friends. He did both his own church and many 
others besides a service similar to that which Paul did 
when he demonstrated that "he is not a Jew which is one 
outw^ardly." For he did much to revive genuine Quaker- 
ism, so that not only do many true Friends know the 
power and grace which the earlier Quakers experienced, 
witnessed and manifested; but many who are not Friends 
have gained a different and much better impression of that 
venerable Society than they had previously had. 

Here is how it struck a person not a Friend, but who 
had been brought up in Philadelphia, and had had occasion 
in later \^ears to visit and for a time mingle somewhat with 
Friends in Ohio, where the impress of David Updegraff's 
ministry is so clearly seen : 

" One brought up about Philadelphia must get his gen- 



yi GENUINE QUAKER. 45' 

eral ideas of the Quakers remodeled, in order to rightly 
appreciate them, and to enable him to identify these spir- 
itually-minded, Bible-using, evangelical, aggressive, song- 
loving people as belonging to the same family. For, in 
addition to the prudence, thrift, good citizenship, and 
longevity, which our childhood's observations taught us 
to venerate in these people, we find that the Society of 
Friends is, by practical exhibition, proven capable of vital 
piety, of aggressive evangelism, of broad views in matters 
of expedienc}', and of self-propagation by Christian rather 
than natural generation. So I take this occasion of apol- 
ogizing to them, that I ever, for a moment, did them the 
injustice of supposing that their religion consisted mainly 
in their exclusiveness, or their clothes, or their grammar, 
or their traditions, or their usages. This, I perceive, is a 
fossil bearing the Quaker label, which I examined in my 
youth. And I am rejoiced to find that vital orthodox}-, 
that Christian holiness, that practical evangelism, that 
Holy Ghost piety, may be found in the Quakerism of to- 
day, as it was in the days of Fox, and that the revival of 
their original position of tolerance is making wa^'^ for the 
consciences of those among them who believe, with the 
rest of us, that the ordinances of the church have at least 
a divinely designed objective end for Clu'istians of all 
ages and of all stages." 

We shall reserve fuller notice of his baptism and of his 
position on that subject for a succeeding chapter. We 
wish to note here an additional point or two which his 
ministry has more clearl}'- defined. 

First. That the " inner light " of natural conscience is 
not to be confounded with the gracious illuminations of 
the Holy Spirit. 

Second. That the Holy Spirit has usually to wait 



46 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

longer for men than men have to wait for Him. When 
one is ready to move, the Holj' Ghost is read}^ to lead 
him. 

Third. While deadness to the AAX)rld is, of course, dead- 
ness to its fasliions and vanities, that, nevertheless, no 
particular garb is conclusive evidence of spirituality in 
the inner man. Spiritual life is more likely to find out- 
ward expression in modest^-, quietness, naturalness, and 
individual taste and judgment than in any prescribed uni- 
form. He was, in every wa}^ an exponent and an ex- 
ample of true Friends' principles, freed from barnacles 
and fungus growths, which have sometimes been mis- 
taken for the principles themselves. 



CHAPTER VI. 

A FULL-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF THIS MINISTER OF 
RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

IN entering more analytically upon the diversified min- 
isterial gifts and labors of this man of God, we wish 
to introduce the words of J. Henry Douglas, an eminent 
and divinely-honored minister in the Society of Friends, 
with whom David worked extensively in the promotion 
of revivals in that church in the early 3-ears of his minis- 
try. Here is Brother Douglas' tribute to his friend and 
colaborer: 

' ' I can say of him as was said of Fox : ' He 
was, indeed, a heavenly-minded man. Zealous for 
the name of the Lord, and preferred the honor of God 
before all things. He was valiant for the truth, bold in 
asserting it, unwearying in labors in it, steady in his tes- 
timony to it, immovable as a rock. Deep he was in 
divine knowledge, clear in opening heavenly things, plain 
and powerful in preaching, fervent in prayer. He was 
richly endowed with heavenly wisdom, quick in discern- 
ing, sound in judgment, able and ready in giving, dis- 
creet in keeping counsel, a lover of righteousness, an 
encourager of virtue, justice, temperance, meekness, pur- 
ity, chastity, modesty, humilit}^ charity, and self-denial, 
both in word and in example. Graceful he was in coun- 

(47 



48 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF, 

tenance, manly in personage, remarkable in gesture, 
courteous in conversation, instructive in discourse, free 
from affectation in speech or carriage. A severe reprover 
of hard and obstinate sinners, especially of the self-right- 
eous. A mild and gentle admonisher of such as were 
tender and sensible of their failings, never resenting per- 
sonal wrongs, easy to forgive injuries, but zealously earn- 
est where the honor of God, the prosperity of the truth 
and the peace of the church were concerned.. Very ten- 
der, compassionate and pitiful, he was to all that were 
under an}^ sort of affliction, full of a brother's love, full 
of a father's care.' " 

From this description of the man and minister it will 
be seen how fully he obeyed Paul's injunction to Titus : 
" In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works ; 
in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity. 
Sound speech that cannot be condemned; that he that is 
of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil 
thing to say of you." David Updegraff not only adver- 
tised, but he also sampled the merchandise of Christ 
which he would have all men buy without money and 
without price. We can write or find no better or truer 
general description of his character and spirit than that 
w^e have just given from the loving, faithful pen of John 
Henr}' Douglas. 

We will now endeavor to present him to our readers in 
the varied views of Preacher, Pastor, Evangelist, Holi- 
ness Standard-Bearer, Author, and Editor. These make 
up a general outline of his ministry, and, with a brief 
statement of his views upon subjects of general and spe- 
cial interest, will, we trust, give the reader a fair, if not 
a complete, idea of this mighty man of God. 

Fannie Crosby, the poetess, was at the Pentecostal gath- 



A FULL-LENGTH PORTRAIT. 49 

ering at Mountain Lake Park, in 1893, and there for the 
first tinie met Brother Updegraff. She was hungry for 
the rich things of the Kingdom, and hence became drawn 
to the sermons and exhortations of Brother Updegraff, 
from which she received much spiritual help. As an evi- 
dence of her appreciation of the services of Brother Upde- 
graff, she penned the following lines before leaving the 
Park: 

Gathering sheaves with a tireless hand, 

Gathering sheaves at the Lord's command, 

Looking to Him for the power divine, 

O, what a glorious work is thine ! 

Gathering sheaves in the morn's bright ray, 

Bearing thy toil in the heat of the day. 

Lifting full many a broken vine, 

O, what a labor of love is thine ! 

Love is thy watchword and still shall be, 
Love on thy banner inscribed I see, 
Love is the key-note of every song, 
How, like a river, it flows along ! 
Brother, the words from thy lips that fall, 
Tenderly echo the Savior's call. 
Thou art inspired by His voice divine. 
O, what a labor for souls is thine ! 

Yonder thy home and thy mansion fair, 
Yonder the crown thou shalt win and wear ; 
Beautiful stars in that crown will shine, 
O, what a meeting will soon be thine ! 
Meeting with friends who have gone before. 
Waiting for thee on the Eden shore, 
Meeting where trials and storms shall cease. 
Meeting with Jesus, the Prince of Peace. 

— Fanny J. Crosby. 



CHAPTER A'll. 



THE PREACHER. 



" They were all filled with the Holy Ghost aud began to speak 
as the Spirit gave them utterance." — Acts 2 : 4. 

WE just left him on the witness stand; we shall find 
him now pleading as well as witnessing. Some 
men seem to have been born to preach, others seem to 
have been manufactured for that purpose; but David 
Updegraff ivas, by the call and commission of God, in 
connection with the baptism with the Holy Ghost, made an 
able 7ninister of the New Testament. Whether that godly 
mother had in his infant consecration asked the Father 
to make of him a herald of good tidings, we cannot tell. 
Whether "prophecies had gone on before him " from that 
remarkable grandmother, none now can say. Or whether, 
in his earl}', restless, ambitious youth and manhood, he 
had been haunted with the echo of the command, " Go, 
preach," he has not told us. Nor did his earliest relig- 
ious life bring out the spiritual gifts with which he be- 
came so renowned and so fruitful in his after ministry in 
the power of the Spirit. 

One thing, however, should be noted in this connec- 
tion, that is, that even prior to his entire sanctification 
he could not be content without exerting some efforts 
for the salvation and spiritual help of others. Thus he 



THE PREACHER. 51 

was improvising social meetings for prayer in his own 
home, and attending them and assisting at the homes of 
others, before any thought of preaching seemed to cross 
his own mind, or the minds of others concerning him. 
He simply flamed with a passion for souls. And this 
passion, we might remark, while it is the needed temper 
of every true minister's soul, is also the pulsation of 
Christly love ^vhich is meant to make every true Chris- 
tian a minister. 

However, the Sabbath following David Updegraff's. 
baptism with the Holy Ghost recorded an epoch in his 
service for others as marked as that baptism effected in 
his own personal salvation. No man has more mightily 
and jealsously than he taught and proven that the bap- 
tism with the Spirit is meant to accomplish something 
more radical than to endue for service. And yet, para- 
doxical as it may seem, no man exhibited more marked 
and mighty enduement as an immediate and abiding re- 
sult of this baptism than he. 

It was their usual First-day meeting for worship in 
the old Friends' meeting-house at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, 
where, constrained by the love of Christ, he arose to tell 
the simple story of what the Savior had done for him a 
night or two before. A holy fire burned in his heart 
and shone from his countenance. A new pathos and 
power attended his utterance. Persons then present yet 
live to tell us how his simple words w^ent to their hearts. 
He was preaching but knew it not. God had made him 
both a witness and a minister. The holy oil was upon 
him, anointing him to preach the Gospel. 

That service was the beginning of an era in his life, in 
the history of his church, in the revival of holiness which 
had already begun in the country and in the spiritual 



52 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

lives ol many. After some little time the church re- 
corded him a minister. This was as it should be. Neither 
the schools nor the churches were meant to make preach- 
ers. God makes every true minister of the Gospel, and 
the church is simply trusted with the honor and respon- 
sibility of taking cognizance of those ministers who bear 
the marks of God's calls and gifts, and of helping to open 
fields to them and supply them credentials. David's min- 
istry began and continued before he was recorded, and it 
would have continued if he had never been recorded ; for 
a man filled with the Holy Ghost cannot keep still if he 
has a commission to tell the story. . Nevertheless, the 
church's authority is of divine appointment, and is of 
great value and importance. And that church which, 
from inattentiveness to the spiritual gifts of others, neg- 
lects to credential them, or, from prejudice and bigotry, 
forbids them to preach, may be found at the last guilty, 
as a wicked and slothful serv^ant who hid his lyord's 
money. 

Several characteristics marked Brother Updegraff's 
preaching which we bring out for two reasons. (1) They 
account for the power and success of his ministry. 
(2) They are points worthy of the emulation of all 
ministers. 

First. He was an expository preacher. Like Ezra, he 
read the word and gave the sense. Like Apollos, "he 
was mighty in the Scriptures." Like Timoth}^, he 
"knew these Scriptures," and "preached the word." 
UnHke many other preachers, he did not make the text 
simply a peg upon which to hang his own wares. His 
sermon always followed as lawfully from the exegesis as 
the flower follows the bud, or the fruit the flower. And 
his exegesis was always a faithful opening of the text of 



THE PREACHER. 53 

Scripture, unwarped by Theological bias and unmuti- 
lated by critical scissors. His early religious educatiou 
had familiarized him with much of the letter and some 
of the spirit of the Old Testament. His later experi- 
ence in salvation had brought him into the heart and 
marrow of the New. While intensely spiritual in his 
exposition of Scripture, he was remarkably free from a 
certain figurativeness of interpretation which, with some 
men, passes for spiritual teaching, but is often nothing 
more than the supporting of views and creeds by a too 
free use of the imagination. Upon the other hand, 
Brother Updegraff was quick to discern and able to ex- 
plain the symbols of the Scriptures. Some in swinging 
away from the error just noted, have ignored and over- 
looked God's inspired symbols, with which the Old Testa- 
ment abounds; and the New Testament is not without 
instances. But others, in their interpretation of symbols, 
have manifestly gone too far, straining mere analogies 
into service, as though they were inspired signs and 
symbols. Brother Updegraff shunned both extremes, 
and taught from God's object lessons without obtruding 
pictures of his own into a like place in the gallery. 

Second. He was a loving preacher. We believe the 
place of the heart is prior to that of the head in the min- 
istry, and so we mention this next. One could soon see 
and feel that he was moved by love as he began to preach, 
and that the more he preached the more his love burned, 
and the more he loved, the better and more apostolic his 
preaching sounded to the ear and felt to the heart, until, 
ofttimes, tears would stream down his cheeks, and his 
voice would tremble with sympathetic emotion, and his 
very soul pour itself out in streams of living, loving 
truth, on tides of heart-yearning desire for the salvation 



54 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDECRAFF. 

and sanctification of those whom he addressed. It mat- 
tered not on what theme, nor to what persons he preaclied, 
all felt that he had a personal interest in them, and every- 
one saw thi^t he spoke the truth in the love of it. 

This burning, passionate love was sometim.es shown in 
a manful protection of the Lord's flock by the exposure 
of danger and refutation of error, but more frequently iiv 
tears and tones of sympathy and helpfulness. With his 
staff he fought off the wolves, and with his crook he 
rescued the weak from peril. 

Third. He zvas aii intelligent preacher . We purposely 
say " intelligent " rather than either intellectual or schol- 
arly. There is ground to fear that the ministry of our 
times has a drift towards Intellectualism, which puffs the 
preacher and starves the people. Scholarship, is, with 
many, making an impassable gulf between the pulpit and 
the pew. David Updegraff's mental furnishings were am- 
ple for all his providential and gracious work. A mind 
of unusual compass, strength and vigor ; more than aver- 
age educational advantages in his youth ; baptized with 
the Spirit, '' of a soimd wzVz^," he gave himself to most 
diligent inquiry, investigation and study. His knowl- 
edge was pre-eminently Biblical, and practical. Having 
been a man of affairs, he had developed some judgment 
in business matters and accurate acquaintance with hu- 
man nature. His literary studies were always critical as 
to matter more than as to manner. His language was 
free and forcible, clear and comprehensive, and yet never 
indicated that his chief attention was at all placed on how 
he said things, but on things themselves, and that he said 
them. He spurned much knowledge of many things, 
accounting that some of it was injurious, and more of it 
was useless to the main purpose he had in mind, of know- 



THE PREACHER. 55 

ing Christ and of making others to know Him and His 
power to save. 

Fourth. He was an extemporaneous preacher. A thor- 
ough digest of the Scripture in hand, and an easy brief 
of its logical arrangement, with, perhaps, a little fore- 
thought on helpful illustrations/ for a few of the more 
intricate points, constituted his ordinary sermonic prepa- 
ration. In some instances he would refresh his mem or}' 
just before preaching from a meagre memorandum indi- 
cating these leading points and illustrations. His pulpit 
inspiration was threefold. He was always filled and 
warmed with his theme. He was always under the touch 
and energy of the Spirit. He alwaj^s caught fresh flame 
from the prayers and shouts and faces of the people. 

Besides these four points, Scripturalness, Heartiness, 
Intelligence and Readiness, which characterized his 
preaching, we must emphasize two others. 

He was a praying preacher. Some are not. That is 
to say, prayerfulness is not one of their leading marks. 
They are talking, smoking, or maybe simply thinking 
preachers, David was much with God, especially in an- 
ticipation of the great privilege and responsibility of 
speaking and ministering in His name. Often, upon his 
knees, or flat on his face in importunate groans and tears 
and prayers, and ejaculating petition, praise and faith. 
He had, too, a childlike leaning upon the prayers of oth- 
ers. How he coveted some one to pray for him, just be- 
fore he preached, who had manifest power at the throne ! 
Ivike Paul in this, when he said, " Brethren pray for us 
that the word of God ma}^ have free course and be glor- 
ified." And in all so like the apostles who declared that 
they would give themselves to the word of God ayid to 
prayer. 



56 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

He preached in confidence of the presence and power 
of the Holy Ghost. Observe! We say "confidence." 
We might have said consciousness, but then we would 
have had to quaUfy by saying " almost always," for the 
sense of the divine presence varies with the most spiritual 
men and ministers. For several reasons this is so, but 
mainly that we may " walk by faith and not by sight." 
In the absence of this consciousness many get no farther 
than a desire, a hope, a feeble trust, that the Spirit will 
help them, and if they afterward see some fruits then 
they feel sure that they have been thus helped. But this 
is not faith; neither is it abiding power. Brother Upde- 
graff was consistent in this with the doctrine he so de- 
lighted to proclaim, that the " anointing which we have 
received abideth^ He rose before a congregation with 
no more confidence that he had a voice, or a memory, or 
a reason, or a heart, than that he had the personal Holy 
Ghost abiding within him to give direction, energj^ and 
power to each and all of these, and to exercise his own 
direct power independently of them all as well. What a 
source of strength this was — and is to any man ! It makes 
him humbly attribute his labors, like Paul, not to himself, 
but to the grace of God within him, working mightily. 
It makes him sure that, though his message is not infal- 
lible because of its human elements, it cannot, on the 
other hand, be a failure because of its supernatural and 
divine element. It enables him to differ from the scribes 
(ancient or modern, for they both alike lack positiveness 
in their declarations), and become more like Jesus, who 
spake as one having authority. David Updegraff has 
demonstrated to this generation what many have sup- 
posed belonged only to the apostolic age, that it is the 
privilege of the minister to be al)le to say; " I have 



THE PREACHER. 57 

preached to you the Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent 
down from heaven." 

His style was versatile. The manner of his preaching 
was as natural and easy as its matter and spirit were su- 
pernatural and mighty. Now conversational and collo- 
quial; now argumentative and oratorical; now serious 
and solemn; now playful and humorous. Weeping now, 
and then waking everybody up by some sally of charac- 
teristic wit. He admitted to us once that some of his 
moods and traits had been trials to his own sense of dig- 
nity, especially as he saw it pained the sense of propriety 
in some whom he dearly loved; but that he must conse- 
crate his moods as well as his mind to the Lord, and let 
the Spirit play upon them as it were upon the different 
strings of a harp; for both Christ and humanity had need 
of them all. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

A PASTOR AND A TEACHER. 

" Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the over- 
sight thereof."— I PETER 5 : 1. 

THERE is, no doubt, until this day a diversity of gifts 
and of operations for ministerial work. As in Nat- 
ure, so likewise in Grace, men are variously endowed. 
It is true that natural talents may be improved (if not 
multiplied) by education, exercise, and culture. And it 
is also true that spiritual gifts may be improved {we 
thi^k also Tnultiplied) by exercise and by prayer. For, 
are we not directed to "covet earnestly the best gifts; " 
" To desire spiritual gifts, but rather that we vn^ij proph- 
esy ? " What meaning, what force or application would 
these injunctions have, if the sovereignty exercised by 
God in bestowing these spiritual gifts to every man sev- 
erally as He willed, were of such an arbitrary character 
as to admit of no change, no increase, either to reward 
fidelity, meet exigency, or to encourage prayer for such 
spiritual equipment for the work of God ? 

Men already mighty for God and gifted in His service 
have told us that upon reaching certain junctures in their 
work, where the interests of souls and the furtherance 
of Christ's kingdom made demand for gifts which they 
were conscious they did not possess, they have gone to 

(58) 



A PASTOR AND A TEACHER. 59 

prayer, and God has signally answered in the bestowal. 
of just such enduements as they needed. Instead of 
leaving the field or shirking duty or missing opportunity 
by hastily concluding that because they were not adapted 
they were not, therefore, called, they were constrained, 
rather, by the love of Christ to infer that since they were 
Providentially called they might, therefore, hope to be 
graciously equipped. And it was unto them according 
to their faith. 

We speak these things here, while noting some of 
David Updegraff's preeminent qualifications for the work 
of the ministry, for the reason that we are too apt to 
simply admire without hoping to emulate the gracious 
accomplishmeuts of such men. True, there is a striking 
individuality throughout, which could not be imitated, and 
which none more earnestly than he would have discour- 
aged anybody from attempting to repeat. But these in- 
dividual characteristics would have been of but little 
account in the work of the Master, but for the spiritual 
gifts with which they were enforced and embellished. And 
like spiritual gifts for like ends will, in like manner, en- 
force and embellish another individuality when the man 
is confronted by Providence with like opportunities and 
obligations. There is, after all, a holy i7nitattveness, 
which the Scriptures allow and enjoin. ' ' What thou 
hast heard and seeyi in me, do^ and the God of peace will 
be with you." 

We might say of David that he was " a faithful stew- 
ard of the manifold grace of God." To his own con- 
sciousness the ministry may have been a " call," but to 
those who heard him and were blessed through him it 
was manifestly a "gift." Neither to himself nor to 
others who might judge him did it ever assume the form 



60 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

of a " profession." He was evidently a servant to whom 
was intrusted more iha?i one talent. Indeed, as we 
labored side by side with him in many battles, and as we 
have studied him still the more since he has gone to his 
reward, we are persuaded that no man we have ever 
known, combined in his ministry more of the gifts that 
are enumerated in Eph. 4 : 11 than did he. 

The reader observes that we are carefully using the 
word ' ' gift " in connection with his ministry. We would 
have it distinguished from "office." It will surprise 
many, perhaps, when we state that, strictly speaking, 
David Updegraff held no ministerial offices. Though 
hundreds of ministers and thousands of people have been 
blessed under his efficient and diversified ministry, yet 
he held and sought no ecclesiastical office. So many 
think the ministry inseparable from, if not identical 
with, a ministerial office. But the truth is that the min- 
istering offices of the church are at best but a most favor- 
able position for the functions of the ministry ; and they 
are often but Providential appointments for church gov- 
ernment. They are sometimes made the occasion of 
selfish ambition, jealousy, envy, and of the crime of 
lording it over God's heritage. They have a necessary 
place in the affairs of the kingdom, but the holding of 
an office is not essential to the Gospel ministry. Many 
are disqualified for ecclesiastical office who are efficient 
Gospel ministers. Upon the other hand, many have 
buried ministerial talents in the ambitions and cares of 
ecclesiastical office. The ministerial gift is a direct en- 
ergy of the Holy Ghost working through and sometimes 
beyond the faculties of the man (or woman). A min- 
isterial office is a creation or permission of Provi- 
dence. Some of these are of divine authority; others 



A PASTOR AND A TEACHER. 61 

of divine allowance; perhaps a few of them without 
divine sanction. 

The offices of the ministry are barred against some 
who, nevertheless, are endowed with ministerial gifts. 
For instance, the standard of scholarship is being raised 
so high for the ministry in some churches that men with- 
out much literary attainment are denied places in the 
Conferences, Presbyteries, and stated pastorates of those 
churches. But the gifts of the ministry are conditioned 
upon no such attainments, nor is their exercise depend- 
ent upon any such positions. 

Again, women are (whether rightfully or wrongfully 
we will not here discuss) deprived of ministerial office in 
most of the churches, though they are frequently en- 
dowed with gifts for the ministry far in advance of some 
who thus proscribe them. They need not care. They 
need not agitate themselves or others about legislation in 
their favor. Let that come or be deferred as Providence 
may order. Heaven has legislated in their favor long 
ago, and office is not indispensable to the exercise of 
their gifts, though it might often be helpful. 

Then, too, there are those who possess gifts for service, 
who are by some physical or temporal condition, or by 
something in the state of their familes, of a permanent or 
passing nature, rendered ineligible to, or are disqualified 
for, offices which would otherwise be open to them. Now, 
if gifts were subordinate to office, these would have to 
bury their talents in a napkin. But the office is subordi- 
nate to the gift; and Scripture, history, and experience 
prove that what is sometitnes styled an irregular 7ninistry, 
has been regularly in the divine order, and is blessed of 
God to the building up of His spiritual house. 

We have sometimes heard it whispered that ' ' if David 



62 MEMOIR OF DA VID B'. UPDEGRAFF, 

Updegraff had been in another church he would certainly 
have been made a bishop." Quite probable; unless it re- 
quires (as we have heard it intimated) more of the politi- 
cian's art to reach that position than he would have stooped 
to. But he has accomplished a much greater spiritual work 
in the churches than many bishops of our times; and he 
has rendered a great additional service to all ministers, 
who will study him, in demonstrating that one may be a 
true, a diligent, and a fruitf^d minister of the Gospel with^ 
out ever occupying so much of aii office as the stated pastor- 
ate of a church. Though he was respected and honored 
at his home church in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, as their 
foremost minister for more than a score of years, yet such 
were the stages of development needed to bring even that 
progressive and blessed people up to the official recogni- 
tion of the pastoral' office, that it was not until David was 
Hearing the close of his labors on earth (and then, perhaps, 
at his loving suggestion, as he saw he must shortly leave 
them) that they took action upon the matter of regularly 
employing the services of a pastor. 

Yet, for all these years, David was their true pastor, 
though not by office, still by a relationship more tender 
and strong than that of a brother. They always expected 
him to bring them a message from God when he was not 
absent in evangelistic labors. All looked to him for coun- 
sel in their spiritual matters and in all the affairs of life. 
He wept with their sorrows. He shouted with their tri- 
umphs. He buried their |dead and comforted their be- 
reaved ones. No pastor we have ever known — and we 
are associated with many blessed men of God who adorn 
this office— more fully met Paul's idea of a pastor; for he 
watched over them as a " father ' ' and cared for them as 



A PASTOR AND A TEACHER. 63 

A living, loving man of God will find his place even ' 
when the world or the church is too slow to make it for 
him. 

He was apt to teach. The " degrees " conferred by our 
colleges and worn with such satisfaction as single charms 
or as beaded necklaces by so many of the ministers of our 
times, and coveted and sought, we understand, by so many 
men, are all of them (so far as we can recall) meant to 
indicate superior knowledge possessed by the wearer. We 
know of none of these which register superior ability for 
communicating that knowledge to others, and particularly 
with reference to spiritual knowledge. And since these 
" degrees" tell us what the times puts a premium upon, 
and what men are striving after, we cannot but feel the 
contrast between all this and Paul's comparative estimate 
of the gift of knowledge and the gift of communicating it 
to the edifying of others. "Yet in the church I had 
rather speak five words with my understanding that by 
my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand 
words in an unknown tongue." (I. Cor. 14 : 19.) 

David Updegraff spoke words ' ' easy to be understood 
that it might be known what was spoken." All could in- 
terpret his speech. Few could misunderstand his mean- 
ing. Many went away saying : * ' How plain he makes 
everything." *' I never saw that before though I have 
read it so often," etc. The effect of his preaching was 
not to stagger us with amazement at how much he knew ; 
but to lift us with gratitude to higher heights of knowledge 
for ourselves. The apostle Paul tells us that double honor 
should be accorded those ministers who labor in word and 
in doctrine. And many feel that this double honor right- 
fully belonged to this humble child of God and servant of 
His people. 



64 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

He was an exception to the rule that a prophet is not 
without honor, save in his own country. Yet it was as an 
Evangelist that these various gifts combined to make 
him the national and interdenominational preacher of such 
renown and of such blessing to many that he quickly 
came to be. 

And here we must pause a moment to understand 
more fully, if we can, what an evangelist is, and what is 
his place iJi the Gospel economy . We have, we think, paved 
the way somewhat for this in distinguishing between the 
** gifts " and the " offices ' ' of the ministry. 

We scarcely think the Evangelist is meant to be a 
distinct office in the church, though it is manifestly a 
distinct and most gracious gift. The Scriptures recog- 
nize this beyond all question or doubt. We have, in the 
Epistle to the Ephesians, the evangelist high up in the 
list of gifts. In the Epistle to Timothy, the work of an 
evangelist is officially and earnestly recognized by an 
apostle. And in the Acts of the Apostles, the evangelist 
himself \s referred to in the person of Philip. This gift 
has been enjoyed and exercised by many who have held 
no official position in the church or ministry. This work 
was also done by some (as in the case of Timothy) in con- 
nection with such other offices as the pastorate or episco- 
pate. The best the church can do with evangelists is to 
recognize them by according them proper credentials. It 
can never make them, nor exterminate them ; and it should 
never seek to circumscribe them. They are made to be 
on the wing. To confine them to geographical or de- 
nominational bounds, is like tying an eagle to a post, or 
barring an angel within prison doors. They are in this 
dispensation like the prophets in the old. They were not 
installed, as were the priests and I^evites; M^^^ are not 



A PASTOR AND A TEACHER. 65 

necessarily ordained, as are bishops and pastors. lyike 
the prophets, they are specially endowed of the Spirit 
and sent, sometimes to the heathen, but more frequently 
to Israel. And like the prophets, again, they are some- 
times rejected by those to whom they are sent, and rulers 
of synagogues may yet bar or cast them out. We believe 
that they occupy, relatively^ the same position that the 
prophets did, only with superior powers and privileges 
corresponding with the superiority of this Pentecostal 
dispensation, over all others. 

As there were * ' schools of the prophets ' ' in those 
days, so we think there should be ** schools of evangel- 
ists " in these days. There are some such, but more are 
needed; and some of a different kind. And for such we 
would like to have David Updegraff as a model in the 
spiritual and practical study for the evangelists of our 
day. As such, we will present him in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A MODEI. KVANGEI.IST. 
"He gave to some . . . Evangelists."— Eph. 4: 11. 

WE judge that there has been no age in the church's 
history when there have not been evangelists. 
But in our own times, perhaps as never before, has 
Christendom been blessed with this class of called and 
gifted workers. We say " blessed," notwithstanding the 
adverse criticisms and reflections often passed upon them 
by the religious press and some ecclesiastical prelates. 
For while, no doubt, some evangelists have reproached 
themselves as well as the cause (as, indeed, have some 
pastors and a few editors and bishops), yet we are con- 
vinced that the strictures placed by some upon evangel- 
ists, and the efforts to denj'^ them recognition, if not 
existence, all grow out of a misconception of the evan- 
gelist's gift and calling, or else out of prejudice, envy, 
groundless fear, or an inordinate desire to control. 

It is charged that by the etymology of the term * * the 
evangelist is simply a missionary, and is to be sent only 
to the regions beyond, without any right to minister to 
Christians or to established churches." But this effort 
at banishment of the evangelist by etymology must prove 
futile, since the history (both Scriptural and general) 
of the evangelist shows that he has a mission in the 

(66J 



A MODEL EVANGELIST. 67 

church as well as without, and since Inspiration distinctly 
tells us that "he gave some . . . evangelists . . . for 
the perfecting of the saints : . . for the edifying of the 
body of Christ,'' etc. 

They charge again that the evangelist is an irrespon- 
sible person. But what can they mean by this, unless it 
be that his liberty of speech and of travel is not wholly 
under the control of others ? Certain it is, that his char- 
acter and conduct are under the surveillance of the 
church to which he belongs. So are his doctrinal teach- 
ings. Now, if priests or sanhedrims would seek to con- 
trol or prohibit beyond these bounds of responsibility, 
would they not be guilty of repeating the injunctions of 
the council against the apostles further preaching and 
teaching in the name of Jesus? To whom Peter was 
constrained to submit, " Whether it be right in the sight 
of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge 
ye." 

The evangelist is said to be mercenary, and out in the 
field for the fleece of the flock. This, probably, is true 
of some of them; but if it is so, it is not because they are 
evangelists, but because they are men — men who have 
not yet parted with the carnal mind, and who need, like 
the elders and pastors addressed by an apostle once, to be 
exhorted to feed the flock of God, " not for filthy lucre's 
sake, but of a ready mind." We sincerely wish that 
none but evangelists, pastors, etc., were to blame at 
this point. 

In all of these particulars David Updegraff was a model 
evangelist. All could see who beheld him in this work, 
that with him it was a passion, not a profession. It was 
** his meat and drink to do the will of Him that sent him 
and to finish his work." Indeed, it seemed also to be his 



68 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

rest; for lie would often, after the most exhaustive labor 
in public, toil till the late hours of the night and early 
hours of the morning in private, to lead a troubled soul 
into the light. 

Pastoral boundaries are always too narrow for a man 
like this. The loving fire that burned in his bosom 
sought vent in every direction. As doors opened to him, 
he entered without partiality or prejudice. Denomina- 
tional loyalty did not, with him, degenerate to sectarian 
prejudice, and he practically ''knew no man after the 
flesh." Where some others would fear to go, lest they 
might compromise themselves or their reputation, he 
looked at nothing but the opportunity to preach Christ 
and to save souls. None could ever even suspect him of 
sect-building, or of an ambition to create a personal fol- 
lowing. To him the great object of his ministry was to 
lead every man into the liberty of Christ, and to the 
decision of many minor matters for himself. 

Having no ecclesiastical ambition, he was notably free 
of those political fears which so often warp the ministry 
of men who think there is something higher than simply 
being a serv^ant of all in preaching the I^ord Jesus. Hold- 
ing no office, the authority he exercised was that of love, 
and always in the Spirit. He was never unmindful of 
sinners, and felt frequently impelled to declare the wrath 
of God, and to warn the impenitent to flee to the Rock 
of Ages for safety. And many were thus warned. But 
like most of the more spiritual evangelists of our times, 
he felt he had a special ministry to the church. Indeed, 
-his interpretation of Kph. 6 : 12 was that by the ** high ' ' 
or ' * heavenly ' ' places is meant the church itself. That 
this is the battlefield on which the "principalities and 
powers" of darkness are to be met and fought by the 



A MODEL EVANGELIST. OU 

Christian in full armor. The doctrine of Holiness and 
the Ofl&ce Work of The Spirit became largely the subjects 
of his preaching, and the sanctification of believers with 
their consequent liberation and anointing for work the 
objective end to which he labored. 

His personal views on a few topics (which we notice in 
an another chapter) never figured prominently in his 
public preaching. He never made the mistake of ac- 
counting their acceptance as conditional to full salvation. 
Neither would he magnify details. Some who claim for 
themselves a more radical view of holiness than others 
seem guilty of tithing mint and anise and cummin," in 
dealing with what seem to us the laterals rather than the 
radicals of this blessed theme and life. Not so he. A 
brother minister met him on a camp-ground one day, the 
said minister smoking a cigar at the time. "Ah, Brother 
David," he said, *' I know thee is about to go for my 
cigar." "No," promptly responded David, "If I cannot 
hit thee lower down than that I will not strike thee at 
all." The minister received the fullness of the Spirit at 
that meeting, and true to David's prediction, "soon shed 
his dead leaves without any help from him." 

Sermons were never the end of his preaching, but always 
SOUI.S. His faith bade him expect results, and his love 
labored to bring them about. His after services were 
unique. No one can imitate them. Nor were they copied 
from any other man's. From the moment he made the 
call, or gave the invitation, until the last one had left the 
auditorium, all could feel that he was bunting with zeal 
for thorough work in individual souls. 

Ready to do anything that would help a person take an 
initial step, if it were only to hold up the hand or to rise, 
yet he was never satisfied till that step was followed by 



70 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

the next and the next, and on until the man was on his 
knees, then praying audibly for himself, and in many 
cases crjdng aloud, and at length trusting, perhaps shout- 
ing, and at all events telHng what God had done for his 
soul. Meanwhile, as this man of God has become ab- 
sorbed in this single soul, it might seem as though the 
meeting would disintegrate, but no; his zeal has inspired 
many others in similar directions. The liberty he accords 
fellow- workers in meeting now tells to great advantage. 
The responsibility is shared by all, as he devotes himself 
to the needy soul. The whole place is like a busy bee- 
hive. To an onlooker, it would seem hke disorder, but 
the blessed Spirit is brooding over the place. I^ight is 
breaking into many souls. Fire is breaking forth from 
many more. " Not too much singing, brethren," we hear 
him call at these crucial junctures. ' Tray ! pray ! pray! " 
Now again, "Give way there, you who are used to pray- 
ing, and let this sister, who has never opened her mouth 
in prayer, get her liberty. Now, sister, pray." At first 
it is mechanical. She scarcely does so much as open her 
mouth. He puts words into it. The simplest kind of 
words. Then, "A little louder, sister. Pray aloud if it 
kills you. For whoever shall call on the name of the 
I^ord shall be saved." Maybe she breaks out into tears 
and weeps. Then his own eye moistens, his voice trem- 
bles, he weeps with her, thanks God for a baptism of 
tears, and again urges her to pray. Now the \4ctory 
comes. Her tongue is unloosed, her face is wreathed 
with smiles, her soul leaps out into victory. She sings, or 
shouts, or takes him by the hand, grateful for an eman- 
cipation which means a new and an exuberant life to her, 
and blessing to many through her. 

Nor were his labors of this kind limited to meetings 



A MODEL EVANGELIST. 71 

where lie was in charge, nor indeed to meetings at all. 
He sees a query in the question column of a religious 
paper from one in bondage or some kind of darkness or 
perplexity. With his acute discriminativeness he diag- 
noses the case. With his untiring love he addresses the 
party a letter (though they have never met). A corre- 
spondence opens by which he is enabled to lead the soul 
out into a broad place of power and liberty. The re- 
sult is that another evangelist is set loose, by whose labors 
hundreds are annually being converted to God, and many 
more sanctified. 

And what was his compensation for these many toils ? 
None have ever known him to stipulate a financial con- 
sideration. Many, upon the other hand, can recall in- 
stances where he not only went and labored, without 
temporal remuneration, but at his own charges besides. 
Fellow laborers can tell of times when he did not think 
the offerings were enough to go all around, and he quietly 
insisted that they should allow him only his traveling ex- 
penses, and see that the others were provided for. From 
a worldly standpoint, this was all at a great sacrifice to 
himself, too. For, though Providence had otherwise 
blessed him with a home and some sustenance therefor, 
yet the business enterprise which would have made him 
rich was now, for these twenty-five years, in the prime 
of his life, subordinated and abandoned to reserve time 
and strength for the exercise of the skill he would apply 
to the making of others rich in the things eternal. He 
could literally say with Paul, " What things were gain to 
me those I counted loss for Christ." 

His course, however, in these matters, was not dictated 
by a traditional prejudice against what some would call 
an "hireling ministry." This should, we think, be 



72 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF, 

clearly understood. When neither the cause he served, 
nor any of the brethren whom he served were likely to 
suffer, he would gratefully accept any such voluntary 
compensation for his services, regarding it as both justified 
by the facts and authorized by the Scriptures. This con- 
viction was more fully evidenced, when, in his relation to 
the home church, he was instrumental in the employment of 
other evangelists. In such instances, the brother or sister 
(for he heartily believed in both kinds) was sure to bear 
away the substantial appreciation of those dear people, 
who gladly accepted the teaching of Paul, brought out 
by their faithful David, that it was not a great matter for 
them to minister carnal things to those who had minis- 
tered things spiritual to them. 

But David Updegraff's real compensation was much 
higher and greater than these things. How evident this 
was, as one beheld the manifold pleasures which filled 
his heart and beamed out of his countenance when one 
would humbly speak of the blessing that he had been 
made to them. This seemed to be pay enough. The 
hundreds of happy homes which would welcome him as 
a brother or as a father, were in fulfillment of the Savior's 
promise of "an hundred fold in this present time." But 
the real reward was 3^et ahead. He is enjoying its first 
dividends now. But they will be accruing constantly, as 
the seed he has sown broadcast continues to yield its 
multiplying harvests. For his works do follow him. 



CHAPTER X. 

AUTHOR AND EDITOR. 

" Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my de- 
cease to have these things always in remembrance." — II. Peter 
1 : 13. 

THK pen has been now, for many centuries, an instru- 
ment chosen of God for the publication and preser- 
vation of His truth. In modern times it has, with its 
auxiliary, the printing press, become a mighty weapon 
both for and against the Gospel, To be able to write 
lucidly and strongly upon themes of Christian life and 
doctrine, and to be able to discern the true and the false 
in the writings of others, are accomplishments second 
only to that of preaching the Gospel itself. 

David Updegraff excelled in both directions. He never 
wrote anything tame or trashy. He was skillful in prick- 
ing the glittering bubbles, which for awhile rise in the 
literary world, and which fascinate many to their own 
disadvantage and damage. He was a frequent contribu- 
tor to the papers and magazines which have grown up as 
a part of the great Holiness revival in which he has been 
so conspicuous a figure. These contributions were marked 
by the following characteristics. Strict adherence to the 
subject in hand. Great faithfulness and skill in present- 

(73) 



74 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ing doctrine. Forceful and often original expositions of 
Scripture. Strong logic. Apt and natural illustration, 
and a manifest passion to have others share the benefits 
and blessings of whatever truth he was presenting. 

He made no claims to high literary polish. Indeed, his 
soul was so eager to present the food itself, that he 
would minister, he could scarcely wait to give undue time 
and attention to the platter upon which it was serv^ed. 
Yet, as an evidence of how the character and style of his 
writings were appreciated by those who did measure from 
the literar}^ standpoint somewhat, we might mention the 
fact that when that most excellent magazine, The Forum, 
wanted a man who could ably and terselj^ represent the 
Society of Friends in an article for its columns, it some- 
how turned to David Updegrafif, who responded in an 
essay entitled " The Confessions of a Quaker," published 
in that magazine in the issue of April, 1887. It is an 
article which will, perhaps, interest our readers to peruse 
and have on hand. 

About the beginning of that year (1887) he jnelded to 
convictions from within and solicitations from wdthout, 
and took up the editorial pen. His was a characteristic 
journal, called " The Friends' Expositor." In his saluta- 
torj', he saj^s : " We think it incompatible with Christian 
dignity to come into the presence of the editorial frater- 
nity and the numberless constituency of the religious 
press with a cringing apology. We think none is needed. 
The field is wide, the har^^est is great, and there is room 
for all. Our sole object is the glory of God iyi the salvation 
of siymers, the perfecting of the saints, and the edifyi^ig of 
the body of Christy The magazine was a quarterly of 
rare merit on the lines thus indicated. To many who re- 
ceived it, it came like a rich pastoral visit, a brotherly 



AUTHOR AND EDITOR. 75 

letter, a treatise upon deeply spiritual and eminently prac- 
tical themes. He always came through these pages, ac- 
companied by choice friends and contributors, all of whom 
were appreciated, but none looked for so heartily and 
earnestly as David himself. His leader was usually a 
strong doctrinal sermon, exposition or discussion. His 
editorial letter was a characteristic gem, taken right from 
the bosom of the man, and sent to the heart of every 
reader. 

We give a specimen. 

* ' Dear Readers — It is only a little while since we 
greeted many of you face to face in some place of worship, 
and we have no doubt that we are per socially acquainted 
with a greater proportion of our readers than is the com- 
mon lot of editors. Many of you are in some sense our 
spiritual children, and all are beloved in the Gospel. We 
are striving to minister to your spiritual needs, and as we 
meet from time to time, we greatly enjoy witnessing your 
stability in the truth, and growth in grace. How many of 
us have enjoyed the various reunions of the great Ex- 
positor family this summer ! Some at Newport. Some 
at New Albany. Many at Mountain I^ake Park. Many 
at Old Orchard and Manchester. A large number at 
Pitman Grove and Johanna Heights. Many at Ocean 
Grove and Ohio Yearly Meeting. And we do not for- 
get the multitude we have never seen. How glad we 
are for the place you give us in your hearts, and for 
your kindness. We could not number those who have 
been so kind, as to tell us that we have, under God, been 
made a blessing to them, and that the Expositor is real 
food for their souls. We intend it shall be still more so. 
We are greatly cheered by these encouraging words, 
and the several hundred new subscribers received during 



70 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

the past year. A large number have also renewed, and 
very few, indeed, discontinued. One good sister thought 
she must curtail expenses, and ordered the Expositor 
stopped, but before it was 'stopped' she had repented 
and subscribed again ! Sometimes persons are reallj^ in- 
convenienced to find the half dollar needed for renewal 
or subscription, in which case we hope they will avail 
themselves of the gratuitous fund, which is generously 
supplied by the voluntary contributions of our friends. 
A few have been very careless in the matter, and allow 
the paper to continue its visits from year to year without 
a response of any kind. We are not hard to please, and, 
far from being exacting, but we would like to have a clear 
understanding with everyone. 

"This is the last No. of Vol. IV. How many of us 
shall company together during 1891 ? We cannot tell. 
It may open to us with the usual congratulations, and 
bright prospects for this life, but close with all of these 
exchanged for eternal realities. There will come a last 
year, a last day, a last moment on this earth to us all. 
God grant we may everyone enter upon an eternal da}'- 
in heaven. With the close of the year comes the close of 
the volume of your opportunities and mine for 1890. Three 
months yet remain of golden privileges, should the Lord 
tany^ I^et us use them while we may, and joyfully await 
His coming. The past has been a year of severe testing 
in many ways, and of unusual toil, but taken altogether, 
it has been one of remarkable victory. We have had no 
vacation. Work has been constantly pressed upon us, 
and we have had a real relish for it, and strength to per- 
form it marvelously given. For the loving sympathy and 
innumerable prayers on behalf of the precious wife, known 
and loved b}^ so many of 3^ou, we return heartfelt thanks. 



AUTHOR AND EDITOR. 77 

Though still an invalid at Dr. Barr's Hygienic Institute, 
we are cheered by signs of real improvement and return- 
ing strength, for which we praise the lyord. The pages 
of this issue are filled with choice contributions from 
writers of superior merit and ability. We return them 
our sincere thanks, with the assurance of a warm welcome 
to our columns at all times. As a partial recompense, 
they may also be assured of the unusually appreciative 
character of their readers. Now, if the lyord will, we 
shall continued to issue the Expositor in 1891, and hope 
for some assistance, in some way, from every one who reads 
these lines. And 'may the lyord bless thee and keep 
thee; the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and give 
thee peace.' " 

Brother Updegraff was an able critic. Always appre- 
ciative, never cynical, satisfied, if the matter was right, 
to let it have his hearty approval, even if its manner was 
not the happiest. But resolutely and diametrically op- 
posed to the contravention of error, no matter how plausi- 
bly put, or how popular and fascinating its dress. These 
were his tests either of preaching or of religious liter- 
ature. It must bear marks of crimson Blood. It must 
accord with the law and the testimony.' It must adjust 
itself to the range of spiritual liberty. With the first test 
he was quick to detect the scent of a subtle Unitarianism 
which creeps into much that is written and supposed to 
be orthodox. With the second he made war upon the 
unauthorized traditions and usages with which some 
make the word of God of none effect, and also upon 
fanatical perversions of the Spirit's guidance. And with 
the third he exposed and denounced the bigotry of secta- 
rianism and the papacy of some Protestant ecclesiastics. 



78 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

We give illustrations here of some of his critical re- 
views and comments: 

NATURAL LAW, ETC. 

Professor Drummond is no doubt a scholar, ah accom- 
plished professor, and a most amiable gentleman, and we 
cannot doubt a very attractive lecturer or speaker, though 
we have never heard him. But we have received several 
copies of his "Natural I^aw in the Spiritual World." 
Surely this book has not been "received with suspi- 
cion," — as intimated in the preface — by a confiding pub- 
lic. But the multitudes that admire its gifted author 
have felt in duty bound to admire his book. His chaste 
and elegant diction, his "gentle spirit" and "beautiful 
prayers," seem to have made him the favorite speaker at 
Chautauqua and Northfield last Summer, and of a general 
prejudice in his favor there can be no doubt. His book 
has, of course, had a wonderful sale. We shall not at- 
tempt any extended review of this work, as we are not a 
Scientist, to judge of the "science" and really find but 
little ' ' religion ' ' in it. At one time he says his science 
and his religion "lay at the opposite poles of thought," 
but finally there was a "great change in the compart- 
ment which held the religion. " " The two fountains of 
knowledge slowly began to overflow, and finally their 
waters met and mingled." 

It is significant that the breach was made in the wall 
of the "Religious compartment." We could,' however, 
think the evolution theories of this disciple of Darwin 
less harmful if, like the latter, he should declare, ''Science 
and Christ have nothing to do with each other ^ except in as 
far as the habit of Scientific investigations make a man 
cautions about accepting any proofs y But our author in- 



AUTHOR AND EDITOR. 79 

sists upon the " IDENTITY " of "Spiritual Laws" and 
" Natural Laws." He seems to care nothing for the dec- 
laration that ''God created man in His ow?i image'' but 
asks, what makes one little speck of protoplasm grow 
into Newton's dog Diamond, and another exactly the 
same into Newton himself ? ' ' And for a definition of 
Eternal Life, that given by our Lord Jesus in John 17 : 
13, seems to be set aside in order to give place to one 
given by Herbert Spencer, one of the most notorious infi- 
dels on the earth. It is this : ' ' Correspondence with en- 
vironment," or with everything outside of ourselves. So 
that we might all confess with Ulysses," " I am a part of 
all that I have met." 

Such is claimed to be "one of the most startling 
achievements of recent Science ! " this definition of 
** Eternal Life." "For eighteen hundred years there 
was only one definition; now there are two !'' And the 
new discovery of Spencer is the theme which seems to 
enrapture and inspire the pen of our fascinating author. 
We do not attempt to expose these vain imaginings. It 
does not seem to be needed. To call attention to them 
ought to be enough for the spiritually-taught reader. 
We could fill pages with similar stuff. But we search 
this book in vain for God's truth concerning atoneinent 
for sin by Jesus Christ, but instead thereof, we are 
pointed to Nature and Science as the panacea for all 
our ills. 

We closed the book with sadness and disappointment, 
not to 3ay disgust, long ago, or shortly after its first ap- 
pearance, and wrote the views privately to a friend, 
which it now becomes our duty to give to the public. 

The Boyhood op Christ. By Lew Wallace. An 
elegantly bound volume, but unfit for a Christian home. 



80 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

It is a repetition of myths, ancient, harmful, and absurd, 
mixed with unreasonable speculations as to the boyhood 
of Jesus. The author says his object in writing it was 
to fix an impression in his own mind of the humanity of 
Christ ! An achievement not near so difiicult or important 
as to set Him forth to our youth as the Son of God. This 
beautiful book is worth more for fuel than food. 

Thomas Kimbbr has recently written in the Review 
on the ''Decadence of the Church^ He takes the Apos- 
tolic church for the model, as of course he must, the 
freest from all admixtures of the doctrines or traditions 
of men. Now will not he or his Editor tell us w^hy they 
discard Apostolical practices? Why they want decrees 
against them, and against those who are in accord with 
their practices? It would make interesting reading if 
some man that has self-respect enough to hold him to a 
logically consistent argument would just show us how it 
is that a church that claims consideration because of its 
Apostolic model can enjoin its ministers and members 
against following Apostolic example? It is freely con- 
ceded that there are several thousands of people who can 
be received as good citizens of heaven who cannot be 
welcomed into the Friends' church, while it is pretty 
well known that there are some who stand fairly well in 
the church who could not get into heaven without a 
great change. 

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting was, as usual, noted for 
its "quiet" and uneventfulness. A year ago it ap- 
pointed a large committee to visit families, meetings, etc. 
In the report of this committee, and in a special session 
of its members and some others specially designated and 
invited, some interest was awakened. But when the 



AUTHOR AND EDITOR: 81 

committee was continued with an authority to " incor- 
porate " themselves with any subordinate meeting and 
act as though constituting the same, the hope of revival 
that had been kindled in some breasts was speedily ex- 
tinguished. The meaning of this could only be conject- 
ured, until one who "ought to know" .would seem to 
foreshadow the real animus in the case when he writes : 

"If, by this course, every vestige of Fast Quakerism 
was cleared out of Philaelphia, Fast Quakers would have 
no real object of complaint." One friend objected to the 
continuance on the ground that it looked ' * too much 
like missionary work, and in that there is danger." In a 
meeting of ministers and elders, a minister from Kansas 
(Jesse Wilmore) was publicly requested to leave, because 
he was understood to believe in a financial support of the 
Gospel. The request was insisted upon, and he with- 
drew accordingly. 

Another incident, illustrative of the inconsistency of 
those who constantly issue tirades against a ' ' pastoral 
system," or, as it is sneeringly called, a " one-man su- 
premacy," was a public reprimand from Morris Cope, to 
a friend who was speaking in the way of ministry during 
a session of the Yearly Meetings. He was bluntly told 
that " This is not a meeting for preaching ,'' and that it 
was not suitable for every one to preach that could preach 
at the Yearly Meeting time ! Quite true, no doubt, but 
an example of human * * dictation ' ' from an elder that 
quite surpasses anything we have known from any min- 
ister under the " pastoral system." 

RANK FANATICISM. 

In our last No. we made a mere allusion to the ' ' Irvine- 
Burns Controversy." But recent numbers of the Ex- 



82 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

posiTOR OF Holiness, edited by Rev. N. Burnes, of 
Toronto, have been so outspoken in error that duty re- 
quires a further word. We must say that Brother Burns' 
** Controversy " is not alone with Brother Irvine, but with 
all true Holiness teachers and Bible teachings. We can 
not doubt the sincerity, and the kind spirit of our friend, 
but this can never atone for his serious and damaging 
errors propagated in the name of Bible Holiness. He 
calls the Bible doctrine of inbred sm, "A Modern The- 
ory," and proposes to "destroy" it, but his arguments 
are almost frivolous. As to the matter of Divine Guid- 
ance he is a monomane. He talks it, writes it, preaches 
it, and gives us a book upon it. The tendency of it all 
is to disregard the Scriptures, destroy a proper confidence 
in spiritual advisers and overlook God's providences. 
This once accomplished, and a man is brought into a con- 
dition where the mind has become so morbid and over- 
wrought as to be utterly unable to detect the voice of the 
Spirit in the soul, from Satanic imitations of the same. 
Rank fanaticism is inevitable. In the name of true Bible 
Holiness and our blessed and holy religion, we beg our 
friends to beware of these snares of the devil, and our 
brother to renounce his perilous positions, and deal in 
those practical truths that will do men good and not 
mischief. It is blessed to know that the "steps of a 
good man are ordered of the Lord," and also blessed to 
acquiesce in whatever method God may choose for the 
ordering of them. For us to select one mode of guid- 
ance, rejecting all others, is a species of dictation that 
can only be attended by Divine disapproval. ' ' 

The popularity of the Quarterly grew steadily from the 
first, and it was, we believe, self-supporting. He was 
often importuned to make it a monthly, as people could 



AUTHOR AND EDITOR. 83 

hardly wait so long as three months at a time to hear 
from him. But he never would undertake what he could 
not reasonably hope to perform ; and what he did at all 
he must do well; and as he made no attempt to chronicle 
the news, he concluded that with the toils and journeys 
of evangelism, the duties of home and pastoral work, he 
should not attempt to publish it more frequently. We 
do not know what presentiment he may have had, or what 
leadings God vouchsafed to him, but we can see now more 
plainly than at the time, the wisdom in his laying down 
the editorial pen when he did, against the wish and en- 
treaty of many of his best friends. Doubtless his work 
in this line was finished. Five years of the labor of love 
have been compiled into a large volume of six hundred 
pages, every line of which is most readable and profitable 
matter, and will be treasured by those fortunate enough 
to possess it in this permanent form. 

In the year 1892 Brother Updegraff was constrained to 
compile a number of his sermons and addresses, together 
with some hitherto unpublished matter into book form. 
This book he styled " Old Corn," from the opening ser- 
mon, which is based upon this text: ''And the viajina 
ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old cor^i of 
the land'' — Joshua 5: 12. 

The volume is, for the most part, a treatise upon the 
subject of Christian Holiness, and should be in the library 
of every minister and in the hands of every soul deeply 
interested in subjective Christianity. 

It seemed so providential that he compiled and pub- 
lished the work just when he did. Coming, as it does, 
near the end of his race, it gives us his maturest thought 
and the rich products of his wide and varied experience. 
Had he deferred it a year, we fear it would never have 



84 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

been completed, on account of his failing health and 
strength. As it is, he was permitted to feed this ' ' Corn ' ' 
to the hungry 3^et awhile ere he left them, and seed sow- 
ers have it to grow successive crops as the years go by. 

Many of them are doing this in a measure. Indeed, 
we heard of one brother who sowed his whole patch down 
to this grain on one occasion. It was a Friends' minis- 
ter; visiting in one of our large eastern cities, he preached 
on first day most acceptably, to one of the old, conserva- 
tive meetings. He was much favored. And when meet- 
ing broke, friends took him by the hand and told him what 
unity they felt with his message, and how it had blessed 
them. "Yes," he replied in much simplicity of soul, 
' ' I thought thee would like it. I found it in David 
Updegraff's ' Old Corn,' and liked it so much that I con- 
cluded to crib it in my memory and share it with thee." 

Brother Updegraff also issued sundry tracts and other 
small publications, which proved like "leaves of healing 
to many." His booklet on the " Ordinances" is a valu- 
able publication, especially to Friends and those interested 
in the discussion of that subject, and in his true attitude. 
But we think that it is now out of press, and copies of 
it are becoming rare. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE EXEMPLARY HUSBAND AND FATHER. 

" For if a man know not how to rule his own home, how shall 
he take care of the church of God."— I. Tim. 3 : 5. 

UT WOUI.D like to see him in his home life." This 
1 is the remark we sometimes hear in regard to 
some one prominent in public work and ministry. There 
may be an implication intended by such, based, perhaps, 
upon the personal failures of those making it, or upon a 
suspicion against the man and minister in question, or, 
possibly, upon a general unbelief iyi the power of grace to 
enable one to live right under all circumstances. But 
whatever it may be, it was always a great privilege and 
blessing to step into the home of our beloved David, and 
especially when permitted to tarry there for a while. 

Nor was this difficult; for the doors of this home always 
swung wide open to welcome those who came in the Lord's 
name. One is struck at a glance with the fact that the 
house itself was built for comfort and for substantiality. 
He built it some j-ears before merging out into the lyord's 
work. Right in the midst of the scenes of his earliest 
childhood, and among the friends of his forefathers, his 
home life has stood as a commentary tipon the every-day ^ 
practical religion which he preached there and abroad. 
These are the traits which conspicuously characterized 

|85) 



86 MEMOIR OP DA VI D B. UPDEGRAFF. 

his life at home — Affectionateness, Cheerfulness, Helpful- 
ness, Providence, Good Management, Hospitality, and 
Devoutness. 

We mention Devoutness last for the reason that while 
a fragrance of prayer and praise might be noticed 
throughout the whole house, and while religion was the 
uppermost thing here, as well as elsewhere, with him, 
yet there was no cant, no legalism, no oppressive ob- 
trusion of religious subjects, or of the religious side 
of all subjects, but a natural, ofttimes playful, partic- 
ipation in the affairs of life, and a sympathetic interest 
in each and every one of the household, and in every- 
thing pertaining to the least of them. A child has lost 
her watch. No reprimand chokes the sympathy he feels 
and shows. No discouraging view as to the prospect of 
finding it, but a ''never mind, darling, look at it philo- 
sophically, consider how much pleasure you have had out 
of it already, and how much worse it might have been," 
etc. The child feels at once that she has w^hat is better 
than a watch. She has a friend in her own "dear papa." 

We could scarcely attempt to describe the Affectionate- 
ness of this home. The rugged side of his character 
seems now to have become a mighty oak, upon which 
tender vines were welcomed to climb and to cling, and to 
find shelter in its shade. How easily an endearing ex- 
pression came to his lips ! How authority and reproof 
are all modulated and sweetened by kindness and tender- 
ness ! All could feel that it was hard for him to say 
" No" to a request. And when he must administer re- 
proof or rebuke, it was evident that it pained him quite 
as much as the one rebuked. He had and he manifested 
much confidence in all that were about him. There was 
no suspiciousness, no inordinate watching of others. His 



EXEMPLARY HUSBAND AND FATHER. B7 

heart so sweetly rested in the love and obedience of those 
he loved, that the highest type of honor and self-reliance 
was fostered in them. 

And though bearing burdens for others continually, his 
spirit was so cheerful as never to seem burdened, or to 
burden others. Not much of a singer (for he said he in- 
herited a Quaker throat), yet ofttimes in the early morn- 
ing his voice might be heard as a happy call-bell for 
others, as he sang, * 'Arise, my soul, arise," or some 
other of his favorite couplets. As the day progressed, he 
would brighten the paths of others with his smiles, his 
ready humor, his own light-heartedness, and perhaps in 
giving vent to ejaculations of praise, as in the little 
chorus he often hummed or sang : 

"Praise the Lord, O my soul." 

We have sometimes heard it hinted that very spiritual 
and devout men are poor business men and bad manag- 
ers. (This may be so with some of them, and if so, it 
must be something else besides their spirituality or de- 
voutness that is to be blamed for it.) But David Upde- 
graff was certainly no illustration to prove such a charge. 
He was a good, judicious, provident, and successful man- 
ager and executive. Planning, devising, and providing 
for the affairs of his household, and hi a helpful, broth- 
erly, neighborly, friendly way ^oing much in these direc- 
tions for others as well. He was a wise counselor, a 
good example, a man of few words and of decided action 
in business matters. And a man, too, who kept temporal 
matters so subordinate as to never allow them to break 
his peace or his peace with others, or to absorb an inordi- 
nate proportion of his time and attention. 

But at one other point (already alluded to) we must 



«» MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF, 

Speak of his home Ufe. His Hospitality was so marked, so 
free, so generous, so hearty and unfeigned, and so thor- 
oughly Christian. Those doors were always wide open 
in "Quarterly Meeting" time and at the "Yearly Meet- 
ing " season. His cordial good-will would strain every 
part of the capacious home to its utmost tension. Nor 
were these occasions simply of physical feasting, or - of 
social chit-chat. He was ever on the alert to minister 
spiritual things to those who came. The floor of his 
study often became the mourners' bench or the altar of 
consecration. Ministers point to his home as the " upper 
room " where they obtained " power from on high." All 
went away better than they came. 

In all of this he was much aided by the dear compan- 
ion whom God had given him for this nearly a quarter of 
a century of ministerial work. Here, indeed, let us in- 
terject, was another marked illustration of the power of 
grace in his home Hfe. That was the beautiful blending 
of his appreciation for a former companion whom God 
had taken home at about the beginning of his public life, 
and his attachment for this helpmeet whom Providence 
had given to aid in the rearing of his motherless children, 
and to be the companion of his evangelistic days. Every 
one of the four children of his first marriage have gone 
out into life with much of the natural force of character 
which distinguished their father, and with many of the 
influences of the blessed Christian home lingering about 
their paths. We covet yet the joy of seeing or hearing 
some of these children take up the standard that their 
father carried so long and so well, and ably pushing the 
battle of Holiness unto the I^ord. 

In infinite mercy God blessed him with this companion 
who (by what seems to some of us almost a miracle) sur- 



EXEMPLARY HUSBAND AND FATHER. 89 

vives him. She, too, was a resident and a native of this 
quiet, select town of Mount Pleasant For fifty years 
her father was the pastor of the Presbyterian church 
there. She brought to his aid a most lo\dng heart, a 
strongly religious character and training, good intellect- 
ual powers, well furnished with a good education. She 
suffered, as some of the letters may indicate, at the be- 
ginning of his evangelistic work, but she faithfully stood 
at her post, until a broadening, deepening hght and the 
fullness of Christian liberty made it more and more a de- 
light to do so. How he loved her ! How he appreciated 
her! How he would speak to us of her as fondly as 
young lovers think of one another ! How his heart 
broke, when for two or three years it seemed that she 
must leave him ! But prayer and faith and skill some- 
how prevailed, so that she had the loving privilege of 
ministering to her dear David in his dying hours, and 
lives to cherish his memory and anticipate their re- 
union. 

They, too, have had four children — three daughters 
and one son, all so passionately devoted to their father 
that but for the supporting grace of God they could scarce 
have borne his departure. But it is a pleasure to record 
that they are all acquainted with the secret of his tri- 
umphant life. And blessed as they are with a share of 
his gifts, and with the legacy of his holy example and 
memory to stimulate them, we expect that they will, 
every one, build monuments to his name in the reflection 
and the propagation of such truth and such love as they 
witnessed in him. 

We have coveted for our readers a further glimpse into 
the sacredness of this sweet domain, and so have gained 

access to a few of the home letters, which would come 

7 . 



90 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

from the battlefield while he was out on duty for the 
Master. 



(Extract of a letter written to Eliza Mitchell — afterward 
Mrs. Updegraff — at the time of his conversion) : 

** Wonders are abroad in our community, and if I do 
not mistake, there is a work of good, of usefulness and 
love for you and all of us to do. Who would wear a star- 
less crown, or be content with merely entering heaven, 
when work is to be done and laborers are few, and every 
gathered soul is a star in the * crown of our rejoicing,' — 
and again we know that as the * angels differ, ' so will the 
ken of gifted spirits glorify Him more. ' ' 

Prophetic. 

II. 

(Extract from a letter written to Sister Updegraff in 
1869, when his evangelistic work began) : 

* * That you are well and happy, I thank my Master 
and our Father, and though I long to see you with yearn- 
ing love, yet I feel that I am about His business, and do 
know by the assurance of faith that He will keep you, and 
that ' all things work together for good' to us because we 
love Him. 

" Bless the dear children ! I pray that our Savior will 
be so near to them as to keep them good, — and I 
do trust Him fully to bless us darling. I ktiow He will. 

' ' I had this morning a sweet season of wrestling with 
our God and Father for your peace and joy in the Holy 
Ghost, — and He will grant it, and thus knit our souls 
together as well as our hearts. None but He can blend 
our souls in perfect accord, so that our wills may be swal- 
lowed up in His. * He working in us to will and do of 



EXEMPLARY HUSBAND AND FATHER. 91 

His good pleasure.' The Lord keep and bless you every 
one. His arms be around you. More than ever thine 
own loving husband and your most loving father." 
Another home letter a little later : 

III. 

" I do hope and pray that thee and they may be kept 
by the power and love of Jesus, and I am sure that thy 
work and labor of love will be accounted as to the lyord. 
I can't tell how fervently I commend you to Him contin- 
ually. He is blessing me here in His work, and giving 
me great place with the people, and many souls. 

" It seems long since I saw you all, but I don't dare 
turn toward home lest I should shrink from my duty to 
our dear Lord. I keep well, and there are many souls to 
be saved and helped, and if it seems hard now^ precious 
wife, to be separated, I am sure that in the sweet by and 
by we shall be glad, and rejoice evermore that we had the 
courage and self-denial to endure, as seeing Jesus, and 
the time hastens. May the dear Lord sanctify it to us." 

Other letters in this, the morning of his public work : 

IV. 

* ' I want to drop 3'ou a line to tell you of my safety 
and health, of my deep love and continued remembrance 
and solicitude for you all, my precious ones. My heav- 
enly Father is unspeakably good and gracious to me, and 
to us all, is He not, dearest? For which do let us be de- 
voutly thankful, and so, as we recount our mercies, and 
dwell on our blessings through Christ our Savior, we are 
"brought nigh by His blood," and can rejoice in His 
presence. I surely love the world well as I ought for 
myself, and am as ambitious of its comforts and enjoy- 



92 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ments as I dare be, and yet I am sure they are as noth- 
ing * but as dross and dung ' compared with the ' excel- 
lency of the knowledge of Christ. ' And would we not 
rather resign the former than lose the latter? But 
blessed be God, He does not demand this at our hands", 
so far as we know, — only willing, obedient hearts. 
But I did not mean to preach, — only a line of love to 
my sweet treasures at home (of whom thou art the crown, 
my precious wife). May the lyord be very near to every 
one of you. I must now stop, though my love and solic- 
itude and prayer for you are only half told. ' ' 



" I do trust and pray that the dear lyord will comfort, 
keep, and bless you all. Absence would be intolerable if 
I could not believe that all things would ' work together 
for good,' and that our dear Lord would take care of you, 
my dearest earthly treasures. 

* * I am in first-rate health, and not working too hard ; 
so don't be uneasy; but it will be sweet to get home, — 
kind and good as friends are to me, ' there's no place like 
home.' In tender and abiding love to every one." 

VI. 

" Meeting is large and very dead, but I pray the Lord 
that we may have a raising of dry bones _y^^ in this valley. 
I am well and shall rejoice when the moment comes for 
me to fly toward home. I never more fully realized that 
it is not my own pleasure I am seeking — that I can most 
fully find at my own dear home, with the darling wife and 
children which God has so graciously given me. May 
He bless and keep you all in safety is my often prayer — 
I leave you in Jesus' care. Pray for me." 



EXEMPLARY HUSBAND AND FATHER. 93 

VII. 
" I am quite well and the people are so kind, but they 
will not spoil me, darling, for "Jesus saves me." It has 
been pretty hard work for a few days just because every- 
body's eyes were upon me and so confident it would have 
to go anyhow, that they were not humble — but the power 
is just beginning to be felt; and I can't bear to see Israel 
defeated before Ai, and thus cause a shout in Satan's 
camp, and I feel so sure that for my sake thee would say 
' wait a little,' that I think most likely I would not drop 
it so as to get home just at the time mentioned in my 
last. God will bless us, and I won't run. Pray for me." 

VIII. 

''This is the day I expected to start home, but know 
if thee was here, thee would say, ' not yet,' for however 
it may be I am sure thee wants to see victory for God, 
and it is just turning to His side. Yesterday was one of 
power, and last night I found great liberty. Praise Jesus! 
Over one hundred have come to the altar and the work 
is only starting. 

*' I am quite well, but it is cold and I feel keenly the ab- 
sence of home comforts and loves, and think I shall come 
flying as soon as God wills, for I so long to see you all. 
I am committing you to God moment by moment, and 
must trust Him to keep you." 

IX. 

' ' I send this note to say how I love you all and long to 
see you, and God willing, it will be soon, though not just 
yet. The I^ord has blessed us here and I cannot go with- 
out an attempt to gather a few more sheaves. Such op- 
portunities to lay up riches in Heaven do not often occur, 



94 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

and the Lord is good to me in stilling the loving emotions 
of my soul toward you all. Pray for me and be patient, 
and we will always be glad in eternity, I am sure. With 
undying love and devotion, 

* ' Your husband and father. ' ' 

X. 

[This was written after a friend's funeral.] 
* * A solemn and good meeting and then we consigned 
dust to dust. I am thinking about you, my precious ones, 
very much. How sweetly we are spared to praise and 
honor God as a united family. But I feel so weak and 
unworthy. It is my constant anxiety to be wise and 
faithful as a husband and a father as well as every other 
way. The great thing, after all, is to be ready to go 
to another world. It is a critical thing to get safely 
through and out of this world. My heart longs for home 
and its precious treasures. I can only trust that the dear 
Lord is keeping you, and that the * angel of the Lord is 
camping round about you,' and this trust keeps my 
otherwise anxious heart restful. Dearly as I love you, 
Jesus loves you more and will fold you in His arms con- 
tinually. ' ' 

We conclude this chapter with a Greeting he received 
on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, speaking the sen- 
timents, doubtless, of all his children, in words penned 
by Mrs. Laura Updegraff (wife of his son William). 

A BIRTHDAY GREETING TO OUR FATHER. 

The finished lives of the sons of men 
Are measured to threescore years and ten ; 
And we mark how softly the webs are spun. 
As we think to-day you are sixty-one. 



EXEMPLARY HUSBAND AND FATHER. 95 

" Threescore and ten." How long it seemed, 
When your mother looked at her boy and dreamed ; 
While you played out in the morning sun, 
Without the sixty years — only one. 

But the feet she prayed might be brave and strong, 
Have come the threefold scores along ; 
And much has been passed, and much begun. 
As you counted the years to sixty-one. 

There has been much toil, a little rest ; 
The yielding often of what seemed best. 
But double blessings are surely won. 
When the hands " withhold not " at sixty-one. 

The fields you have faithfully, prayerfully sown. 
Perhaps in the " hundred fold " have blown ; 
Or perhaps are with tares and weeds o'errun. 
As you turn to see them at sixty-one. 

Perhaps the grain that was only spilled, 

Has returned in the sheaf and the ear well filled, 

And perhaps you see that the best was done, 

As the light is clearer at sixty-one. 

For many shall reap whom you never knew. 
The harvest in ways you have journeyed through. 
And paths on the mountain upward run. 
Fairer and wider from sixty-one. 

So, whether be toil, or whether be rest. 
We pray the future may fully be blest ; 
And the light of a day that is never done. 
Grow brighter and brighter from sixty-one. 

— W. andL. 
Springfield, Mo., Aug. 23, 1891. 



CHAPTER XII. 

HIS BAPTISM. 
" See, here is water, what doth hinder ? "—Acts 8 : 36. 

TO many Christians this event would not be sufficiently 
significant to call for special notice; but when it 
is remembered that the society, or church, with which 
Brother Updegraff was identified, has, for many years 
past, fallen into almost general disuse of this ordinance, 
so that it has become very generally known that the 
Quakers do not baptize or partake of the I^ord's Supper, 
it looms up at once into a matter of more than ordinary 
interest and importance that this true and loyal Friend 
and able minister of the New Testament felt it at length 
obligatory upon him to imitate his Master in thus fulfill- 
ing all righteousness. 

It is evident that he did not do so because he regarded 
it as a saving ordinance, for he had been for some time 
in the enjoyment of salvation, free and full, before sub- 
mitting to it. It is also evident that he had no desire or 
design to institute a revolution upon this subject. in his 
church; for his public mention of it, which was very rare, 
was for the most part explanatory and defensive of his 
individual course, and never aggressive, excepting, as we 
notice elsewhere, when he championed the battle, not of 
Christian ordinances, but of Christian Tolerance. 



HIS BAPTISM, 97 

Though he was immersed, it is clear that this was 
from no conviction concerning any one mode of baptism 
as against another; for, subsequently, in ministering bap- 
tism to others, as he was sometimes importuned to do, he 
practiced the sprinkling or pouring mode. That his bap- 
tism was delayed as long as it was is easily understood by 
recollecting his environment, his traditional predisposition 
the other way, his disinclination to provoke controversy, 
and his habitual course of trying "the spirits, whether 
the are of God." But conviction strengthened with in- 
creasing light, and he at length felt that longer delay 
would be a violation of conscience. He was baptized in 
the least ostentatious manner possible, thus showing that 
he sought to obey, rather his 'private conscience, than to 
effect any public sentiment, and that he laid no stress 
upon the objective or pictorial effect of baptism on the 
minds of others. It was just his duty to fulfill all right- 
eousness, and he did so. The following account of the 
affair from Rev. Edgar Levy, who administered the rite, 
will interest our readers : 

* ' My association with Brother Updegraff has been of a 
peculiar character. In the providence of God I was per- 
mitted to render him a service, which, under the circum- 
stances, was both unusual and interesting. I have not 
spoken of it often. Shall I mention it now? 

"While pastor of the Berean church, Philadelphia, I 
was in the habit every year during " Quaker week," as it 
was called, of inviting Brpther Updegraff and Dr. Dougan 
Clark to preach for my people. On the occasion of his 
first visit he came in time to take tea with me. He had no 
sooner entered the parsonage than he said, * I would like 
to see thy church.' I accompanied him through the yard 
into the church by the rear door. We ascended the stairs, 



98 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

and soon stood upon the pulpit steps. I said, * Brother 
Updegraff , stand where you are, and I will show a Quaker 
our arrangement for baptizing.' Behind the stained-glass 
window I moved the machinery by which the baptistry 
was noiselessly uncovered. When I returned, he was 
standing with folded arms, gazing into the open font. 
The light of the declining day, with softened beauty, was 
shimmering upon the water. The sanctuary was im- 
pressively silent. Nothing but the ticking of the clock 
could be heard. I stood near to him, neither of us speak- 
ing for several minutes. I saw that he was in deep and 
earnest meditation, and I determined not to disturb him. 
At last he broke the silence by saying, ' See, here is water, 
what hinders me from being baptized ? ' I answered, * If 
thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.' He re- 
plied, ' I believe that Jesus is the Christ. I have been 
baptized with the Holy Ghost, but never with water. I 
have greatly desired to submit to this outward ordinance 
instituted by my blessed Lord.' ' When,' said I, 'shall 
it be?' He answered, 'Now.' We at once retired to the 
robing-room, and in a few minutes w^e returned, prepared 
for the solemn service. We knelt together in the chancel. 
I shall never forget his prayer, so tender, so childlike, so 
humble, and loving. Then w4th only God and the an- 
gels as spectators, I baptized him into the ' Name of Fa- 
ther, Son, and Holy Ghost.' 

" Notwithstanding he thus received the ordinance of 
baptism, he continued a member of the Society of 
Friends. His soul could not, however, be confined to 
the little circle of any one denomination. He belonged 
to the church catholic. He once said in a great public 
meeting, ' I was born a Quaker, received converting 
grace among that people, experienced entire sanctifica- 



HIS BAPTISM. 99 

tion amor^g the Methodists, married a Presbyterian, and 
was baptized by a Baptist minister. You can judge what 
kind of a Christian all this has made me.' He belonged, 
indeed, to us all. The whole body of believers was made 
rich by his able ministry and his heroic life. God be 
praised for giving us such a friend, whose memory will 
always be fragrant." 

Let it be distinctly understood that he did not by any 
means (as some might suppose, and a few have charged) 
strain his loyalty or violate any of his obligations to his 
own church in thus following the example of Jesus in 
submitting to be baptized. 

The way the Quakers came to favor disuse of the ordi- 
nances was this : 

In the days of Fox and Barclay there was scarcely a 
religious denomination of importance that did not regard 
the ordinances in themselves procuring means of grace. 
Baptism was believed to regenerate, and the Lord's Sup- 
per to convey to the partaker in an actual or spiritual 
sense, the body and blood of Christ. Sacramental de- 
pendence had largely taken the place of faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. " Unspiritual and even 
superstitious additions had been made to the simple and 
spiritual teachings of the New Testament in these things." 
(Isaac Brown.) The Christian church greatly needed an 
emphatic utterance of the fundamental truth that Christ, 
"the true bread from heaven," is our life, and that the 
soul's union with Him is immediate, through the Spirit, 
and not through the mediation of any outward form, ob- 
servance, or priesthood. It needed to be distinctly taught 
that Jesus is the great Baptizer, and that the baptism 
which now saves is that of the Holy Ghost; that com- 
munion with God is not dependent upon any human 



100 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

form, or limited to appointed seasons, but that the true 
feeding upon the body and blood of Christ is inward and 
spiritual, and should be an unbroken experience. 

Fox and his coadjutors flamed forth into the midst of 
that formal and realistic period, on fire with an aggres- 
sive zeal for a pure Christianity, and outspoken witnesses 
to heart holiness and the fullness of the Spirit. In so 
doing they abandoned, not only the abuse, but the use of 
the rites of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. They rea- 
soned that the New Covenant admitted of neither type 
nor symbol ; that it was spiritual and experimental in op- 
position to the Old Covenant, which was outward and cere- 
monial. They regarded Baptism and the Supper as an 
outgrowth of Judaism, permitted and used during the 
formative period of the early church, but not divinely in- 
stituted or of permanent obligation. But we look in vain 
for any manifestation of that hostility toward a simple 
memorial observance of these rites, which have charac- 
terized modern Quakerism. Their fight was against rit- 
ualism, and beyond that they had no controvers3^ In a 
paper issued by William Penn and three of his friends we 
find the position stated as follows : ' ' We believe (in) the 
necessity of the one baptism of Christ as well as of His 
own Supper, which He promise th to eat with those who 
open the door of their hearts to Him, being the Bap- 
tism and Supper signified by the outward signs, which 

THOUGH WK DISUSE, WE JUDGE NOT THOSE THAT CON- 
SCIENTIOUSI.Y PRACTICE THEM." 

Isaac Brown, an English writer of much ability, in a 
defense of the Quaker view of the Lord's Supper, says 
in conclusion: " Had the partaking of the Supper been 
observed two hundred j^ears ago in the way in which we 
find it was practiced by the apostolic churches, sitting 



HIS BAPTISM. 101 

down together to a feast of love, without distinction of 
rank or wealth or condition in life, remembering together 
the dying love of their Lord, and thus comforting and 
encouraging one another; calling to mind that He died 
alike for all; that the salvation of every soul among 
them, whatever his circumstances in life might be, was 
equally precious in His sight; that Christ alone was their 
Master, and all they coequal brethren, there would prob- 
ably have been, on the part of early Friends, no protest 
against it. Whilst believing themselves to be called upon 
to behold distinctively the essential spirituality of the Gos- 
pel — that is, that religion now consists, not of shadow^s 
and forms, and rites, but of heartfelt realities — and re- 
garding such a ceremony as non-essential Christian prac- 
tice, they would, neverteless, have considered it as within 
the limits of Gospel liberty." This is, beyond question, 
a fair statement of the original position of the Friends' 
church, and is much the same as that of the Salvation 
Army of to-day. But it is also true that nineteenth 
century Quakerism has so far receded from its early po- 
sition that these limits of Gospel libert)^ have narrowed 
down to an almost invisible point. Not that we are more 
intolerant on the ordinances than other churches, but that 
we have a right to expect the Friends' church to be 
much more tolerant in view of the prominence it has al- 
ways, theoretically, given to the rights of conscience. 

The groimd thai belonged by inheritance to every Quaker 
had been alienated by sectaria7iis7n, and had to be retaken 
in a conflict that promised to be long and severe. In this 
conflict, as already stated, David B. Updegraff was the 
providential leader. 

In all periods of Quaker history there have been in- 
•stances of individuals who could not accept the views of 



102 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

the majority on this question, and these, to avoid giving 
trouble, have gradually withdrawn from the church. So 
far as the present writer is aware, there has never been 
any discipline which rendered the partaking of the ordi- 
nances a disownable offense; but by consent of the major- 
ity it has been regarded as a violation of " Friends' prin- 
ciples," and disownments have occurred, I believe, for this 
reason only. 

In the early years of his ministry Brother Updegraff 
became convinced, by a diligent study of the Holy Scipt- 
ures, that the ordinance of Christian Baptism w^as insti- 
tuted by the Lord Jesus Himself, and intended to be per- 
petuated in His Church as an outward rite of admission 
into the fold, and as a sj^mbol of the washing of regener- 
ation, pointing to the remission of sins and to the new 
birth. In like manner, he regarded the Lord's Supper 
as a thing to be rightly and properly observed as a me- 
morial of the death of his dear Redeemer. In accordance 
wnth these convictions he was baptized several years ago, 
and afterward continued to partake of the Communion as 
opportunity offered during his lifetime. To neither of 
these ordinances did he ever attribute any saving efficacy. 
Most emphatically did he say; " It is absurd to suppose 
that there is an3^thing in a riteT Their observance was 
to him simply an act of obedience to what he believed to 
have been commanded by the Head of the Church. 

In the meantime, through his annointed ministry on 
the doctrine of Holiness, hundreds, if not thousands of 
Friends had been led into the experience of Sanctification. 
As a preliminary condition the}'- had made an all-inclu- 
sive consecration. They had submitted themselves to 
the will of God without questions as to what they might 
be led out of or into. The Bible in their hands was now 



HIS BAPTISM. 103 

read with new eyes, and traditional belieis were submit- 
ted to its teachings as ultimate authority. Not to the 
early Friends, but " to the law and the testimony " was 
the watchword, and it soon began to appear that one 
here and another there was unable to accept the Quaker 
view of the ordinances. One of this class, who was at 
this time just entering upon evangelistic work, says, in 
reference to it: "Then came the question of practical 
obedience, and it was the closest test of our consecration 
that had ever come to us. To go forward seemed to in- 
volve, in our church relations, the loss of all things; to 
disobey, was to forfeit all we had gained, and to give the 
lie to the consecration we had professed. The issue was 
not introduced by any man. It was forced upon us by 
experimental cond itions . ' ' 

But to the conservative Friend, a concession on this 
point to the degree of tolerance for the practice of the 
ordinances, was tantamount to giving up our identity as 
a people. Mere ecclesiasticism seemed to have the argu- 
ment on its side. Hedged in on either hand, men ancj 
women of burdened consciences stood waiting, as before 
a pathless sea, for God to open a way. Under the Holi- 
ness revival one venerated but outgrown usage after 
another had been set aside, perversions of truth had been 
corrected, rigidity had given place to elasticity, and it 
looked as though the old-time liberty of the Spirit might 
be restored; and now we were suddenly precipitated into 
the last ditch of Quaker traditionalism. It was the strong- 
est intrenchment of ecclesiastical intolerance that had yet 
been encountered, and the outlook was unpromising, but 
Brother Updegraff raised the standard of ' ' fidelity to 
Christ " and led on the attack. Like a veritable Wink- 
lereid, he threw himself into the issue to "make way 



104 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF- 

for liberty." From first to last, it was not a question of 
ordinances, but of liberty of conscience. Neither he nor 
any one else claimed that the observ^ance of an ordinance 
was vital to the life of the soul, but he did insist that 
obedience was vital, and that the right to obey God in 
this matter must be w^on. The basis of Christian toler- 
ance was accepted by David B. Updegraff and his sympa- 
thizers, as defined in Romans XIV., and as announced 
by our spiritual forefathers in the faith. Clearly, those 
who obser^'e Baptism and the Lord's Supper solely on the 
ground of obedience to what they conscientiously believe 
to be a command of God, and not as in themselves effica- 
cious, are in harmony with the main principle underljdng 
Friends' belief on this question, and are entitled to tol- 
erance. We repeat, on this point, and not on that, of 
the ordinances per se, was the battle waged. 

Events just alluded to will inform many of our readers, 
perhaps for the first time, that David Updegraff was called 
upon to suffer, and that, too, at the hands of the Israel 
he loved dearer than life, for the liberty of conscience he 
exercised and contended for, as the right of every man. 
This will occasion a double surprise, for David never pa- 
raded his sufferings abroad, and all have somehow re- 
garded the Friends' Church as in the vanguard for freedom 
and for conscience. 

But degenerate churchism always tends towards papacy 
and the inquisition, no matter how simple the form of 
church government may be. To view the attitude which 
some assumed towards Brother Updegraff on account of 
his baptism, and which is now occupied towards one of 
the writers of this book, one on the outside would think 
that the fight of Quakerism was against the ordinances 
of Baptism and of the Lord's Supper ; that " the princi- 



HIS BAPTISM. 105 

palities and powers ' ' against whom they are called to 
wage war, are found in the water or at the cornmunion 
table. But to the memory of loyal, faithful David Up- 
degraff , who was a truly consistent Friend, be it recorded 
here that this is a travesty on Quakerism, even as papacy 
is on Christianity. 

Those are neither true nor representative Friends — it 
matters not what officialism or officiousness they may as- 
sume — who take ground against the ordinances and those 
whose consciences impel them to use them, more arbi- 
trary or absolute than that occupied by Fox or Penn or 
Barclay, which ground was freedom of disuse and not in- 
tolerance of use. 

It should be published, as a legitimate part of this 
memoir, both as a tribute to the judicious love of David 
Updegraff and as an evidence of the blessings which en- 
sue to a church whose walls are cemented with tolerance 
rather than braced by cast-iron decrees ; I say it should 
be known that in the Friends' church at Mount Pleasant, 
Ohio (where David lived and ministered these twenty- 
five years) that no schism of any kind has ever occurred 
on account of this position he occupied; nor in the Ohio 
Yearly Meeting. Neither have there been factions, and 
cliques, and parties developed. Many have never been 
baptized; numbers have. Many do not commune at the 
I^ord's table; some do. But every one respects the con- 
science and liberty of the other. No one is proselyted, 
nor are any ostracised. There is no " wet " and " dry " 
caste among them. This liberty they enjoy and this love 
they evidence, let it not be forgotten, cost their now as- 
cended brother and leader some bonds and some — well, 
some things that were not so loving. 
8 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A CHAMPION OP TOI.KRANCE:, BUT NOT A 
RKVOI.UTIONIST. 

" Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty."— II. Cor. 3 : 17. 

THK writer was intimately associated with Brother 
Updegraff for a number of years, and labored with 
him both in meetings intended mainly for the Friends, 
and in meetings of an interdenominational character; and 
he has never once heard him preach a sermon or de- 
liver an address upon the subject of the Ordinances, or 
seek in any way to obtrude it upon others. But how 
easy it is for those who are blinded by prejudice, and hot 
with bigotry, to misunderstand and misinterpret the min- 
istry of a man of God. We think that we would do 
neither his memory nor his mission justice, if we neg- 
lected to state his true position upon this subject, or 
shunned to record that for this position he wore no little 
odium and bore no little persecution. Yet, who ever 
heard him publish either the odium or the persecution ? 
lyike his Master, " he committed himself to Him that 
judgeth righteously," and went patiently and earnestly 
on, leaving it to others to tell that he paid some tribute 
to ecclesiastical biogtry for the privilege he sought, of 
ministering liberty unto his people. 

Like Paul, his ''heart's desire and prayer to God for 
Israel (was) that they might be saved." And like Paul, 

/1 06,1 



A CHAMPION OP TOLERANCE. 107 

lie suffered from his own countrymen, more than from 
others. A biography that has no allusion to sufferings 
for truth and conscience' sake lacks an essential Gospel 
mark, and opens the way to suspicion that the subject of 
the narrative lacked fidelity and sought popularity, as so 
many seem to do in our times. Not so with David. That 
woe will never be recorded against him which is pro- 
nounced on them of whom all men speak well. Na^^ he 
came nearer the blessing promised to those who suffer 
persecution, and are cast out of the synagogue for His 
name's sake. We have known his name to be handed 
down and passed along as evil — and that not by world- 
lings, but by churchmen —when no man could lay aught 
against his character, conduct, or teachings, unless it be 
by false accusation, or garbled misrepresentation. We 
have seen this man — mighty as to ability, and mightier 
yet as to grace and goodness — relegated to a back seat, 
debarred from any public ministry, and his presence 
scarcely endured in a Yearly Meeting of a church of 
which he was at the time (in another Yearly Meeting) a 
duly accredited minister w^ithout a blot against him, and 
with, perhaps, more souls saved as the result of his min- 
istry, than had been added to the church by evangelical 
means, in that whole Yearly Meeting during the genera- 
tion in which he lived. 

You ask, "Why this ostracism, this persecution?" 
and ' ' How could it be possible that a church with so 
little apparent creed-bondage, or ecclesiastical hierarchy', 
could inflict such severe scourgings upon an able minis- 
ter of the New Testament? " 

Perhaps you allow more than facts will warrant, in this 
last question. But be that as it may, it is certain that 
however simple a church organization may be, its spirit- 



108 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGAFP. 

ual decline will always be marked by something resem- 
bling the condition of the Sanhedrim among the Jews at 
the time of Christ. Ecclesiastical intolerance is the product 
of church apostasy ; and spiritual liberty is the aggressive 
foe of this intolerance. Right here is the explanation of 
anything and everything that David Updegraff suffered 
in his church. To deny or to conceal the apostasy, is to 
leave a great wrong at some innocent door. David Upde- 
graff was neither a reformer, a revolutionist, nor an an- 
archist. 

But he was, in the highest sense, a free man. One of 
his favorite texts was, ' ' The law of the Spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and 
death." His liberty was not licentiousness, but it was 
deliverance from legalism. He was bound neither to the 
body of sin and death, nor to traditions, usages, or prej- 
udices, which have no Scriptural sanction nor any evan- 
gelizing tendency. He abhorred cant, and every imita- 
tion of religion. He believed and demonstrated that 
supernatural grace would make a man natural in his 
moods, manners, and ministry. But particularly and 
preeminently would he insist upon liberty of con- 
science; and for this freedom, and for the promulgation 
of such liberty he suffered. Had he sought to foist the 
Ordinances in his church, perhaps he might have been 
less excusable in the eyes of some who believe that a 
church can exist without these Ordinances. But he evi- 
dently felt no call to this, nor did he, as we have said, 
manifest his zeal in this direction. He had, however 
enlightenment of personal conscience upon the subject of 
Baptism and the I^ord's Supper. Enlightenment that 
reached the point of conviction, so that to have disobeyed 
would have been to not only violate his own conscience 



A CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE. 109 

and the word of God as it was opened to him, but also to 
violate a fundamental principle of the Friends, which is, 
obedience to God's voice in the "inner light." 

At the time of his baptism it required a strong man 
and a hero to open the way. What tears and prayers 
and concern may have preceded this step, we can never 
know, for he sought God secretly, and was rewarded 
openly. No doubt a special anointing of courage was 
granted him for this purpose; no doubt, either, that this 
courage was meant of God to be used in opening the way 
for other weaker and less aggressive souls, who, never- 
theless, reached conscientious convictions upon this sub- 
ject. Mark ! he never declared, we think, that his Soci- 
ety should, as a church, adopt the Ordinances, but he 
piaintained that the original position and the character- 
istic spirit of his Society did not deny the Ordinances to 
those who felt in duty bound to accept them. 

This position he meekly but mightily maintained in a 
debate sprung upon him in his own Yearly Meeting, for 
which God had specially prepared him. His address 
upon this occasion has been published in booklet form, 
and we submit that no fair-minded Friend has fully can- 
vassed the position of his church upon this matter, until 
he has given the subject of that remarkable address ckre- 
ful consideration. At the time they could not resist the 
wisdom and power with which he spoke, but arose, and. 
with one mind and one voice, glorified God in a doxology 
of praise. From then on, though of course there still re- 
mained individual dissenters, his position was understood 
and maintained, and he was held in life-long respect and 
honor in his own Meeting. There is not one of these 
Friends but would rebuke as an injustice to the man, and 
a belittling of his memory, the implication that he sought 



110 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

to obtrude the Ordinances in the church. His was a 
higher, nobler mission than this. He contended for lib- 
erty, and blessed be God! many will say they found 
their liberty through his labors. Perhaps the most strin- 
gent Friend will claim no more against the Ordinances 
than that they are non-essentials. Put them upon that 
base, and was this man at variance with the Friend's 
church in claiming for non-essentials liberty? 

We would have been so glad if we had had it to record 
that his victory in this battle for Tolerance had been 
general and complete. Perhaps this would have been too 
much to expect, though it would have been so desirable. 
Much land has been possessed. Many Friends are en- 
joying a liberty to which they were strangers twenty -five 
years ago. A higher type of spiritual liberty and a more 
aggressive evangelism characterize the church in many 
places than could be found before this man was set in 
motion of God. 

Two things have been demonstrated by this, upon 
which some good persons are pessimistic. First, that it ^ 
is possible for a church which has declined to be revived, 
and that spirituality does not multiply sects. Second, 
that a Friend who is led by the Spirit to freedom of con- 
science and deliverance from sin, need not go out of the 
church to enjoy it, if he is willing, like David Updegraff, 
to pay the price of staying in the church, where such 
liberty and testimony thereto are so much needed. 

He was called, we think, to inaugurate a work in this 
direction rather than to complete it. It remains for those 
who have obtained like precious victory to carry on the 
peaceful fight. That some land remains yet to be pos- 
sessed, will appear, we think, by the perusal of the fol- 
lowing set of questions and answers which bear date 



A CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE. Ill 

since the death and burial of this Joshua. Let no one 
mistake it for a relic of the days of the inquisition, nor as 
issuing from the Vatican. It is veritably a product of 
the year of our lyOrd 1894, and of an ecclesiastical body 
of the Quaker church. We append it without further 
note or comment : 

Before submitting samples of Existing Intolerance 
IN THE Church, let us note a few general points of the 
subject which should be carefully observed. 

First. If the premises we have taken are tenable, 
then careful distinction should be made between the in- 
tolerance of degenerate ecclesiasticism, and a proper and 
just ecclesiastical government itself. Many make the 
mistake of warring against the wrong thing, and hence 
develope an intolerant abusiveness of church authori- 
ties which is anarchial in its spirit. 

Second. Let none suppose that a war upon even in- 
tolerance itself is the chief thing in hand. Not so. In 
fact, it does not require any holiness particularly, to carry 
on a tirade against monarchs and monarchial tendencies 
as they rise in church government. But our main battle 
is the battle of holiness,, which is purity, liberty, and 
power. Now, the advancement of these principles of life 
and freedom is bound to encounter the intolerant spirit 
which may have grown up with years of spiritual de- 
cline (though perhaps accompanied by numerical progress) 
in the church. The battle with Intolerance is simply an 
incident in the war for God and Holiness. Nor should it 
be fought with carnal weapons, nor for selfish ends. We 
believe that David Updegraff fought this fight for others, 
rather than for himself. It was not that he chafed under 
unjust restriction or animadversion (for God and he could 
make a place for himself) but the onward march of Holi- 



112 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ness needs some to bear testimony against those things 
in the condition of the church, which hamper the Spirit's 
liberty, and unjustly restrain the liberties of God's chil- 
dren. 

Third. It would be an unrighteous blunder if the im- 
pression were made that this Intolerance is confined to 
the Friends' church, or that it prevails there more than 
in some other churches. We think the reverse of this is 
true. We know that in many things, in that church there 
is a liberty accorded beyond what is granted in some 
other churches. And we think that in some of the other 
churches there is, upon other points, an intolerance man- 
ifested in excess of that which is found here. It is only 
as the aggressive work of Holiness is carried on that 
these things appear upon the surface. It is amazing how 
many men and ministers are both slaves and tyrants, un- 
suspected by themselves, until the conviction of Holiness 
reveals it unto them. 

We might cite instances where the Episcopalians have 
proscribed ministers of any other church than their own 
from occupying their pulpits; where Presbyterians, though 
combining in a union meeting, have refused to participate 
when the Methodist " altar " was introduced; where Bap- 
tists have deposed ministers and expelled members for 
witnessing to Holiness. 

We might allude to many cases where persons have 
4)een debarred from privileges and from promotions be- 
cause of their fidelity to conscience in matters concern- 
ing the prohibition of the liquor trafiic, and this some- 
times, too, in churches and church endowed colleges. 
But to keep within bounds, and to give none but authen- 
ticated facts, and to give illustrations which come pretty 
closely within our own family range, we submit — 



A CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE. 113 



A WRONG INTKRPRKTATION OF A BAD LAW. 

(We gather from an editorial in the Tentiessee Metho- 
dist^ with the above caption, some things which should 
be known; painful as they are to read, and more painful 
to believe, of what is being said and done in the M. K. 
Church South. Such, although confined to a somewhat 
limited locality, will, unless arrested, give encouragement 
to similar occurrences in other places, and if so, the inev- 
itable is not far off. — Editor Way of Faith.) 

"The last General Conferance, in paragraph 120 of the 
New Discipline, gave us a new law, which, in substance, 
places presiding elders in charge of all stations and cir- 
cuits, if the right interpretation of it has been made by 
Presiding Elder Sawyer, of New Orleans, who is backed 
up in his interpretation by Bishop Keener. Preachers in 
charge are now no longer preachers in charge of stations 
and circuits, but they are in charge of presiding elders 
and bishops, who, according to the new law, are not only 
in charge of the preachers, but of the stations and circuits 
also. 

" If the following be true, we have a case in point. It 
is alleged that Rev. S. F. Parker, pastor of Dryades St. 
M. E. Church South, New Orleans, agreed to open the 
doors of his church to a Brother Methodist preacher, ex- 
tending a cordial welcome to him, and praying God's 
blessing upon him; that he received a letter from his 
presiding elder. Rev. John T. Sawyer, saying he had 
learned that it was his intention to allow his church to be 
used for the Carradine meeting, and calling his attention 
to paragraph 120 of the New Discipline ; saying that under 



114 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

that paragraph he had the authority to say what meetings 
could be held i7i the church, and what not, and for him to 
say to the ^'second blessing'" people that they could not have 
the use of the Dryades street church. He went on to say, 
further, that he had consulted with Bishop Keener, and 
that the Bishop upheld him in his interpretation of the 
law, and that the responsibility rested upon the presiding 
elder. The Rev. Mr. Parker wrote the presidiyig elder, 
protesting against his action in the matter, but to no pur- 
pose, and he was forced to deny the brethreyt access to his 
pulpit and church . 

" It is further alleged that, shortly after the foregoing 
incideiit, the Rev. Robert Wynn, of Parker Chapel, called 
Rev. W. W. Drake, of Crowley, lyouisiana, to assist in 
a protracted meeting. Brother Drake came and had 
preached two or three nights, when Presiding Elder Saw- 
yer went up to the church to hear him, and on that occa- 
sion Rev. Drake preached a sanctification sermon, and 
invited believers to the altar, he himself being in the ex- 
perience. Rev. Sawyer being called upon to pray, with 
one believer at the altar, kept the congregation on their 
knees for fifteen or twenty minutes while he preached a 
sermon against sanctification, using much ridicule and 
sarcasm, killing the spirit of the meeting, and creating 
much disgust towards himself. The next day he wrote a 
note to pastor Wyjin, sayi^ig how grieved he was to see the 
doctrine preached, a7id that he must stop it. Pastor Wynn 
paid no attention to the presiding elder's letter, and the 
meetings went on the second week, when Brother Wynn 
received a second letter from Presiding Elder Sawyer, in- 
forming him that he was guilty of insubordination and 
likely to have his character challe?iged at the next annual 



A CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE. 115 

Conference, and demajidmg that he close the meetings at 
once. 

* * Presiding Elder Sawyer has even gone further and 
written to Rev. Ceeville, of Covington, Louisiana, who is 
also in the New Orleans district, that he must not preach 
sayictijication in his pulpit, and not have any holiness evan- 
gelists or preachers do so. 

" The Rev. T. K. Fauntleroy, pastor of the Felicity 
Street M. E. Church South, had been attending the Car- 
radine meetings, and being under conviction, sought and 
received the blessing of entire sanctification; whereupon 
our Brother Sawyer resorted to his pen again, and wrote 
to this pastor that he hears that he has professed the sec- 
ond blessing, and that he is not to have any holiness 
meetings in his church; that sanctification is not the 
doctrine of the M. E. Church South, and cannot be 
preached." 

All the above and foregoing is given over the signature 
of a New Orleans Methodist. 

Now, I know and love both Drs. Carradine and Sawyer. 
It is not my purpose to discuss sanctification as taught by 
Dr. Carradine, but the law as administered by Brother 
Sawyer. If the law is rightly interpreted by Bishop 
Keener and Presiding Elder Sawyer, then it is a bad law, 
and the young Democracy of the Methodist church will 
not suffer that law enforced now, and will see that it is 
repealed at the next General Conference. There are 
limits and boundary lines beyond which bishops and pre- 
siding elders cannot go. Bishop Vincent, of the North- 
ern Methodist church, is quoted as saying that the grave 
perils of Methodism are, "the unlimited power of the 
higher officials of the church, the ability of the presiding 



116 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF- 

elders to remove men for their opinions, the power of 
rich men in influencing appointments, "and so on. 

This new law, as interpreted by Bishop Keener and 
Presiding Elder Saw^-er, virtually puts ten bishops in 
charge of the fifteen thousand church organizations within 
the bounds of the M. E. Church South. A pastor in 
charge is no longer a pastor in charge, but simply a year- 
ling calf staked out in the back yard and tied to a peg, 
to be removed or put back in the lot, at the will of the 
presiding elder. 

The rank and file of the ministry of the M. E. Church 
South, and the laity of that church will not submit to 
any such law, if it has been rightly interpreted in the 
cases before us. 

I am credibly informed that a presiding elder in the 
Tennessee Conference was asked if Dr. Carradine was 
coming into his district, and he replied: "He has an 

appointment to begin at , but I hope he will never 

get there ; I hope the train will run off the track and kill 
him." He has forbidden the preachers in his district in- 
viting a holiness preacher of the district to preach in their 
pulpits. 

A preacher visiting the district conference of this pre- 
siding elder, was notified by the preacher in charge that 
he was expected to preach one night. The presiding elder 
forbade the visiting brother to preach unless he would 
promise him he woidd neither preach 07i holiness 7ior refer 
to it in his sermon. 



II. 



(In justice to Brother Clark it ought to be stated that 
he is by no means responsible for this insertion. But we 



A CHAMPION OF TOLEkANCE. 117 

take the liberty for three reasons. 1. It gives the reader 
an exact and clear view of the kind of battle David Up- 
degrafF had to fight. 2. It shows the friends of holiness 
and liberty the present status of the warfare. 3. It fur- 
nishes in Brother Clark's replies a beautiful and manful 
exhibition of the Perfect Love which bound him and Da- 
vid so closely together, and both so closely to the cause 
of freedom.) 

PROPOSITIONS SUBMITTED TO DR. DOUGAN CI.ARK TO 

SIGN. 
By a sub-committee of six, out of a committee of twelve 
appointed in his case by the preparative meeting of minis- 
ters and elders of Whitewater monthly meeting. 

To Whitewater Preparative Meeting of Ministers and 
Elders : 

1. Dear Friends — I sincerely regret the pain and con- 
cern I have caused my friends, and am sorry for the 
perplexity and embarrassment I have occasioned the church 
in submitting to the rite of baptism with water, contrary 
to the views of Friends and the definite enactments of 
Indiana Yearly Meeting; and it may be I was mistaken 
in my apprehension of duty on that occasion. 

2. As I do not regard baptism with water as in any- 
wise essential to salvation, I promise that I will not, pub- 
licly or privately, orally or in writing, preach, teach, or 
in conversation, or in anywise encourage others in the 
use of baptism with water, either as a memorial service, 
or as a command of Christ. 

3. In writing the memorial of David B. Updegraff I 
have avoided and will avoid the expression of any views 
of my own not in harmony with the Declaration of Faith 
of Indiana Yearly Meeting. 



IIB MEMOIR OP DAVW B. UPDEGRAFP. 

4. I desire to retract the assertion that one purpose 
I had in being baptized was to bear testimony against the 
intolerance of Friends. 

"Richmond, Indiana, 12, 27, '94. 
' ' To the Committee of Six and also the Com^nittee of Twelve : 

* * Dear Friends — I address this communication to both 
Committees because I understand that both have sanc- 
tioned the propositions which were presented to me yes- 
terday by the Committee of Six. These propositions are 
four in number. I must respectfully and lovingly de- 
cline to sign any one of the four. 

* ' To sign the first would be to recant all my convictions 
and my action in reference to baptism with water, and also 
to prove recreant to the time-honored Quaker doctrine, 
and the still older Scripture doctrine of the guidance of the 
Holy Spirit. I am onl}^ a fallible human being, but I 
trust I am not mistaken in believing that I was led of the 
Spirit as to the time, the place, and the manner of my 
baptism. I am indeed sorry that ' pain and concern, and 
perplexity and embarrassment ' should arise in a church 
of Christ because a member of such church acts in accord 
with his conscientious convictions. There is a Christi- 
anity which made the church and is greater than the 
church. This is the Christianity of the Bible, and it is 
this which I plead for. There is also a Christianity which 
the church has made, and which, age after age, tends to 
* make the commandments of God of none effect by its 
traditions,' and which 'teaches for doctrines the com- 
mandments of men.' From this form of the Christian 
religion may the Lord preserve us as individuals, and 
preserv^e also our beloved church. Friends have always 
been prominent in advocating the spirituality of the Gos- 



A CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE. 119 

pel dispensation and freedom of conscience for each indi- 
vidual on all non-essential points, on which there may 
be a different view within the church — and liberty of con- 
science also, against all opposition from without, as re- 
gards both essentials and non-essentials — and they have 
maintained this liberty, both before civil and ecclesiasti- 
cal tribunals, often through great suffering, and in some 
instances unto death. God forbid that we, as a church, 
should go back on our own record. L^oyalty to the church 
is much commended in our day, and justly so ; but it is 
very easy to allow loyalty to the church to take prece- 
dence of loyalty to Christ, or to make our loyalty to 
the church the measure of our loyalty to Christ. For 
myself, I cannot value highly any loyalty to the church 
which is not based upon loyalty to Christ, who is the 
Head of the church. lyoyalty to the church is good, but 
loyalty to Christ is better. The church is simply an out- 
ward and visible organization, designed to promote on 
earth the inward and spiritual kingdom of Christ. And 
it has been well said by a recent writer, that ' church 
history shows that very many times the visible church 
has been the greatest obstacle to the progress of the king- 
dom of God. ' In all probability the Quaker church would 
never have had an existence at all if the Church of En- 
gland, in the seventeenth century— and many of the dis- 
senting bodies as well — had not been on a very low plane 
of spirituality and Christian experience. I believe, there- 
fore, in loyalty to the church just as far as the church 
is loyal to its risen Head. I do not believe in loyalty to 
ecclesiasticism, nor denominationalism, nor sectarianism. 
And I desire, with all the influence' I possess, to promote 
the spirituality, not only of the Friends' church, but of 
all the churches, and thus to hasten the day when the 



120 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDBGRAFF, 

prayer of the blessed Savior may be answered : * That they 
all may be one.* 

**I could not sign the second proposition, because Jesus 
says that after making disciples we are to * teach them 
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' 
Jesus says teach — you say I must not teach in any way 
whatever on the subject of Christian baptism, * either 
as a memorial service or as a command of Christ.' 
* Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken 
unto you more than unto God, judge ye.' But do not 
misunderstand me. I never preached a sermon on any 
baptism but the baptism with the Holy Ghost, in my life. 
In all probability I never shall preach such a sermon. I 
have never taught the essentiality of either of the Chris- 
tian ordinances, at any time, nor anywhere, nor to any 
body. I never expect to teach their essentiality, because 
I do not believe it myself. But where would be the con- 
sistency of my taking a pledge that I should never preach 
nor teach in any way — even in conversation or in a letter 
— on the subject of baptism, which, though not an essen- 
tial of salvation, is not, therefore, to be regarded as inex- 
pedient or unimportant, and at the same time claim to 
believe in and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit t 
Am I to follow His guidance provided He does not lead 
me to speak on one forbidden subject? And if it would 
be inconsistent for me to take such a pledge, where is 
the consistency of your requiring it ? 

*' I have long since completed my part of D. B. Upde- 
graff's biography. I do not remember any * expression 
of any views of my own, not in harmony ' with the 
' Declaration of Faitli of Indiana Yearly Meeting.' But 
since I cannot be sure that there is no sentence in it, 
which you would regard as objectionable on account of 



A CHAMPION OF TOLERANCE. 121 

not being in harmony with said Declaration, I cannot 
take the risk of signing the third proposition. But 
alas ! alas ! that the Friends' church should ever have 
thought it necessary to practice such a rigid censorship 
as this over the rights of conscience and over, not only 
freedom of speech, but freedom of press, and this on 
non-essential points. God be merciful to this church for 
Jesus' sake. 

"As for the fourth proposition, I have no recollection 
of ever making the expression referred to. My testi- 
mony has been positive, rather than negative. I have 
long stood up publicly and privately for tolerance to the 
individual conscience on non-essential points. But I 
certainly regard the minute of 1886 as intolerant, and the 
same is true df similar edicts, which have been adopted 
by several Yearly Meetings: Now, so far as Friends 
adopt and execute such edicts, they are intolerant, even 
though they may not be conscious of the fact, and may 
even deny it. Hence, I cannot sign the fourth propo- 
sition. 

"In conclusion, let me ask you, in all tenderness and 
honesty, why cannot this whole difficulty be settled on 
the basis of Robert Barclay's position on the Lord's Sup- 
per? Apology, page 449. I quote a few lines without any 
garbling : ' Lastly, if any now at this day, from a true 
tenderness of spirit, and with real conscience toward 
God, did practice this ceremony in the same way, 
method, and manner as did the primitive Christians re- 
corded in Scripture, I should not doubt to affirm, but 
they might be indulged in it, and the Lord might regard 
them, and for a season appear to them in the use of these 
things, as many of us have known Him to do to us in 
the time of our ignorance ; providing always they did not 



122 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

seek to obtrude them upon others, nor jtidge such as 
found themselves delivered from them, or that they do 
not pertmaciously adhere to them.' Dearly beloved 
friends, let me be one of those who are thus indulged, 
and I freely consent to be counted among those whom 
Robert Barclay and yourselves esteem as ig7iora7it. Will 
you not allow me to do so ? 

' ' Yours ever lovingly, 

"DOUGAN CLARK. " 



CHAPTER XIV. 

CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE AS RELATED TO TRUTH AND 
UNITY. 

TX AVING detained the reader with very recent speci- 
JTy mens of existing intolerance in the church (ob- 
serve, we say, i7i the church, not intolerance of the 
church), we want to insert a most able and characteristic 
address upon this question as delivered by the subject of 
this memoir. It has already been published in tract 
form, but all who read it will agree that it is worthy of 
a more permanent place in literature. We publish it here 
as the very best statement we can offer of David Upde- 
graff's convictions upon this subject, and also as a most 
careful and comprehensive putting of the subject itself. 
Its spirit, too, commends it to all who, in any of the 
churches, feel called upon, like him, to contend for the 
liberty of God's children: 

" Even civilized life would be impossible, if the world 
did not have its code of forbearance and comity. There 
are wide differences of opinion as to our duty as citizens, 
and these differences are to a certain extent the proper 
subjects of friendly conference and debate. But there is 
a limit to an insistence upon our views, and if this boun- 
dary of general principles be exceeded, personal animos- 
ities and feuds are engendered, and there comes an end 

(123) 



124 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

of good feeling and neighborliness, and all sensible men 
know this. The same statements are true in a still higher 
degree in domestic and social life. He who violates these 
laws in a contemptuous disregard of the rights of private 
opinion, or diverse practice, soon turns his home into a 
pandemonium, and receives the reprobation of all right- 
thinking men. A wise parent cannot afford to treat with 
impatience or intolerance even the crude or foolish opin- 
ions of his child. If so, the strong presumption would 
be that the parent was wrong, whether the child was or 
not. Now that such a spirit of mutual consideration and 
forbearance is a prime necessity to the state and to so- 
ciety, needs no proof — it is indisputable. Much more,, 
then, do we affirm that it is a 7iecessity for the Church of 
Christ to exercise tolerance toward those of its rnembers 
holding diverse opinions. 

" This, then, is our present thesis, proven from several 
stand-points, but, first, and in this paper, because it is a 
necessity in the interests pf the truth itself, of which the 
church is the custodian by divine appointment. The 
Gospel of Jesus Christ is a 'trust,' committed to His 
church for the declared purpose of accomplishing certain 
results. It was put into the hands of the early church 
as a completed system. It was as perfect, both in sub- 
stance and form, when Peter and Paul preached it, as it 
ever was, or ever will be. It was nothing less than the 
wisdom of God and the power of God unto salvation then, 
and it is just that to-day. Every real improvement in 
theology takes us back into the ' old paths. ' There is no 
gospel for our age that was not enjoyed by the first gos- 
pel age. No additions have come from God, and those 
proposed b)^ man are only substractions in disguise. An 
emasculated gospel, or a gospel of private interpretation, 



CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE. 125 

or amalgamated with human discoveries, is not the Gos- 
pel of God. It can never germinate, but is a barren and 
fruitless thing, because the power of the Holy Ghost is 
not granted to accompany it. And the Holy Spirit al- 
ways gathers to a person and not to a system, or a name, 
or a creed, or a sect. And thus it is that all evangelical 
Christianity has crystallized about the person of our lyord 
Jesus Christ who is 'the tnith ' incarnated, and the prin- 
ciple of absolute obedience to Him is the central princi- 
ple of that new life which is begotten in the individual 
Christian. But this is a uniting, gathering principle, and 
so it came to pass that * we being many are one body in 
Christ, and every one members one of another,' And 
this oneness in Jesus Christ, or the invisible unity of His 
mystical body, is the foundation of the visible unity of 
the outward and militant body known as church organi- 
zation. When this organization was first completed on 
the day of Pentecost, this unity was perfect, both within 
and without, in the church, and for a brief day there was 
indeed the supreme headship of her risen Lord. But 
when thousands came to be added, there existed at once 
a wide variation in experience, and consequently in con- 
science, and in apprehending the will of God. The treas- 
ure was committed to earthen vessels, and ' contentions ' 
resulted in the formation of differing sects. We will 
here assume that each sect has been formed with a view 
of r<?forming the existing church, either as to its interior 
or exterior life, or both. And in every such case there 
was the endeavor to return, as nearly as possible, to the 
apostolic church, both in doctrine and practice. Any 
other standard would be a false standard, and wholly in- 
admissible. All of the evangelical sects have found com- 
mon standing ground upon the essentials of the Christian 



126 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

religion, but besides these holding views more or less 
pecuhar to themselves. The search for the truth made 
by successive reformers, age after age, has-been graciously 
rewarded by its repeated rescue from the rubbish and 
captivity of error. To put it mildly, this has not been 
accomplished without the clash of conscientious convic- 
tions, and a free use of every weapon known to legiti- 
mate controversy. This was especially true in the early 
days of our own church. Its founders encountered the 
most skillful and strenuous opposition, and their conflict 
with an intolerant and persecuting spirit was prolonged, 
sharp, and wearisome, but resulted in good. There was 
in a good degree a restoration of primitive Christianity 
and true, spiritual worship. Now let us inquire if their 
discoveries of hidden truth were complete? Did they 
comprehend all of the truth ? Were they so wise as to 
exclude all error? Was theirs a finished and a fixed 
theology, incapable of improvement? Were they called 
to formulate a faith for their posterity, as well as for 
themselves ? And is every loyal Quaker to be born with 
an irresistible penchant to subscribe to the creed they 
built ? Were they the last persons to receive new light 
on old truths ? And did they receive all the light in cer- 
tain directions that God has to shed? Were the princi- 
ples of our fathers living things, to bri^ig forth buds, a7id 
leaves, and fruits, or vierely a species of sarcophagi for 
the safe-keeping of sacred relics a7id sainted dead 9 And 
if they are true expression of life, is it not possible that 
they may mean something more or something different 
to us than they meant to them ? Or if we are capable of 
receiving |new light, are we capable of walking in that 
which was given to them, though it be withdrawn from 
us? We ask these questions well knowing that true 



CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE. 127 

Quakerism gives an emphatic negative to every one of 
them, and my readers know it, too. But we know, also, 
that there is a practical adherance to the idea of the in- 
fallibility of 'Early Friends,' and this idea has been as- 
serted and defended, though in indirect ways, for nearly 
two hundred years. Occasionally it has been in unequiv- 
ocal language, as, for example, a leading elder said, fifty 
years ago, ' the writings of Karly Friends are something 
that have risen up between us and the Scriptures, and we 
must not go beyond them.' And quite recently another one 
publicly declared, 'the Lord did lead our ancestors into 
an interpretation of Scripture that has stood us for two 
hundred years ! ' The venerable Benjamin Sebohm 
warned the church against this tendency to ' claim a kind 
of infallibility on the part of Early Friends,' which was 
' undermining the very foundation of all true Quakerism,* 
and 'falls little short of absolute Popery.' No doubt 
many devout and godly men have quietly acquiesced in 
this state of things, perfectly satisfied with their unques- 
tioning confidence in the religious views of their ances- 
tors. With these good people we have no controversy. 
But there are those, also, who are led in spite of them- 
selves to question their inherited opinions, and to bring 
once more both doctrine and practice to the direct test of 
the Scriptures. 

' ' Now we proclaim that it,is in the interests of truth 
itself for the church to exercise true Christian tolerance, 
or the fullest liberty of investigation and expression in 
all such cases! In all seriousness, we challenge the assent 
of reasonable men to this postulate. Who does not know 
that in every age of the church the converse of this prop- 
osition has been the fortification of error, and of the ene- 
mies of the truth as it is in Jesus ? 



128 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

' * I^et us quote from some Catholic authorities. Bishop 
O' Conner says: 'Religious liberty is merely endured 
until the opposite can be carried into effect without peril 
to the Catholic world.' The 'Catholic Review' says: 
' Protestantism of every form has not, and never can 
have, any right where Catholicity is triumphant.' The 
' Boston Pilot ' says : ' There can be no religion without 
an Inquisition, which is wisely designed for the protec- 
tion and promotion of the true faith.' Pope Pius IX. 
said : ' The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in 
defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential 
error. ' The same sentiments are found in an editorial 
of ' The Star and Crown,' which is not Catholic author- 
ity, but it says (italics are ours) : ' Toleration in conscien- 
tious religious eccentricities, when coming under the seal 
of genuine loyalty, is often to be indulged and com- 
mended; but since it is certain that a conscience which 
finds its natural pabulum outside the boundaries of 
wholesome and preservative church law, can never as- 
similate itself to the spirit of the church, it seems neither 
safe nor politic to consent to its propagation within the or- 
ganized lifies.^ 

" Need we add, that the errors of the school-men, so con- 
stantly exposed by early Friends, were entrenched behind 
the bigotry that compelled an exact agreement of thought 
with the dogmas of the church ? And when we are met 
in this day of grace by this newly-recruited regiment of 
the devotees of the revived gospel of the Inquisition, 
We wonder if it is not the vanguard of that army that 
shall one day come from the Vatican demanding of 
' every human creature subjection to the Roman pontiff ! ' 
Some of these recruits are young in the cause, but their 
present zeal atones largely for the time lost while forag- 



CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE. 129 

ing in other fields, and they may easily be distinguished 
by the freshness of their war-paint, and by the reckless 
vigor with which they flourish their weapons of invective, 
misrepresentation, and that reliable old war-club, the 
odhini theologicum. Socrates is reported to have said to 
his judges : * In another world they do not put a man to 
death for asking questions.' Of course, we must be clearly 
and always understood as claiming this tolerance of which 
we speak, within the limits of what may be termed a gen- 
eral creed or consensus of the church. In fact, just such 
an one as our fathers left us, and not such a particular 
and narrow creed as the distortions of tradition and cus- 
tom would fasten upon us, ' descending to minute details 
as to interpretations and applications of particular texts 
of Scripture,' etc., as fitly described by B. Sebohm. He 
denounced such an imposition as Popery, and so it is; j^et 
it is * sought to be made the Shibboleth of Quakerism to- 
day.' We most solemnly and lovingly admonish brethren 
to wash their hands of this enormity. A persecuting bishop 
once advised the king of France to put all who refused to 
think as they did into iron cages, in which they could 
neither lie down nor stand up. It was an awful torture, 
but the bishop himself spent fourteen years of retribution 
in one of them, apparently because he had offended the 
king, but really because he offended God. 

* ' Bishop Ryan has lately said : ' We hate heretics with 
a perfect hatred, and when the Catholics get the majority 
in this country, as they will, there will be an end of re- 
ligious liberty in the United States.' I^et men beware of 
that ' Mischief that shall return upon their own heads, 
and a violent dealing that shall come down upon their 
own pates ' (Ps. 7). I^et us beware of that which is inim- ■ 
ical to moral and mental freedom ; of that which degrades 



130 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF 

reason, stifles conscience, and resists the Holy Ghost. And 
for a looking-glass, we may paraphrase the teaching of 
Cardinal Bellarmine : ' If the church should err by en- 
joining vices or forbidding virtues, the members would be 
obliged to believe vices to be good and virtues bad, unless 
they would sin against the church' s conscience ! ' Away, 
forever away, from every Protestant heart, be such blas- 
phemy against the ever-living God and His eternal truth ! 

" But what is that general creed, within whose limits 
the tolerance of which we speak is not only safe but neces- 
sary ? For undisputed authority we quote William Penn 
(Works, Vol. II, 1726) : ' It is generally thought that 
we do not hold the common doctrines of Christianity, but 
have introduced new and erroneous ones in lieu thereof; 
whereas we plainly and entirely believe the truths con- 
tained in the creed, that is commonly called The Apostles\ 
which is very comprehensive as well as ancient.' Again 
he says : ' For, setting aside some school terms, we hold 
the substance of those doctrines believed by the Church 
of Englayid, as to God, Christ, Spirit, Scripture, repent- 
ance, sanctification, remission of sin, holy living, and the 
resurrection of the just and unjust to eternal rewards and 
punishments.' He then declares that ' we differ most about 
worship and the inward qiialijication of the soul by the 
work of God's Spirit thereon, in pursuance of these good 
a7id generally received doctrhies. ' Here is a full statement 
of the grounds of a common religion, and also those of 
dissent. 

" Withi7i such fundamental and universally^ well-estab- 
lished lines there is ample scope for independent thought 
and brotherly condescension. A past, if not a present mis- 
take, has been to condone an assault upon these lines, while 
severe in our exactions of the tithe of ' mint, anise, and 



CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE. 131 

cummin.' We have no sympathy with that idea of Chris- 
tianity that looks upon it as a loose-jointed thing, lack- 
ing polarity, and falling abroad in an embrace of liberal- 
ism, philosophies, or so-called 'modern thought.' Cer- 
tainly not. Nor yet is it an ecclesiastical strait-jacket, so 
exquisitely stitched and starched that it can only fit a 
few precious souls of fastidious form and cultured taste. 
The religion of Jesus cannot be reduced to a fine art, 
whose real beauties are only to be discerned and appreci- 
ated by such as have been especially trained to behold 
them through glasses of a rare and costly make ! No ! the 
church, if it will make any true advance, must turn back- 
wards towards the old ' faith once delivered to the saints,' 
and not toward the 'new theology.' But diversities of 
opinio7i are the inevitable result of all progress in knowl- 
edge, and in important respects religious knowledge is no 
exception to the rule. It is also true that an advance 
in the divine life always promotes unity of the spirit. Now 
these great facts, apparently contradictory, can be per- 
fectly adjusted by that catholicity which is peculiar to the 
highway of scriptural charity, or the * more excellent 
way,' of which Paul speaks, and in no other way. This 
promotes fraternal unity, candor, and integrity, and it is 
a genuine conservator of all the truths of orthodoxy, while 
an enforced ecclesiastical unity pays a premium on envy 
and dissimulation, and is the very, hotbed of error. 

"Having now shown that intolerance is the inveterate 
foe of the truth, it remains for us to prove that it is equally 
the destroyer of true unity in the church. That Chris- 
tian tolerance is an absolute necessity to the unity of the 
denomination, is then the proposition now claiming our 
attention. That when it ceases to prevail, Christian unity 
and communion comes to an end, is indeed so manifestly 



132 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

true that it seems strange that it needs to be proven. But 
there is an evident misapprehension of what tolerance 
means, as well as what true unity is, and also concerning 
the proper limitations of the church's authority. Web- 
ster, Worcester, and others have no disagreement about 
the meaning of toleration, and there can be none with 
those who care to know what that meaning is. ' Tolera- 
tion: the allowance of that which is not wholly approved : 
— where no power exists, or none is assumed, to establish 
a creed and a mode of worship there can be no toleration, 
for one religious denomination has as good a right as an- 
other to the free enjoyment of its creed and worship.' 
Of course such definition is clear and self-evident. But 
we are told by an editor ('Review') that ' toleration is a 
much abused term,' and in the light of his illustrations 
we fully agree that it is 'abused.' He says: * We toler- 
ate Romanists, Jews, and even Agnostics; that is, we do 
not attempt to punish them or compel them to accept our 
convictions of truth.' Now it would simply be grotesque 
to speak of 'our society ' with its less than 100,000 mem- 
bers, as 'not attempting to punish or compel,' etc., the 
7,000,000 Romanists of our land 'to accept,' etc. He 
must, therefore, speak of the nation where he says, 'we' 
and ' oiLr.' And if so, who can tell what 'our [govern- 
ment' s] convictions of truth ' are ? It has never assumed 
nor possessed the power to establish a state religion of 
any kind,* and consequently ' Romanists, Jews, and Ag- 
nostics ' have precisely the same rights that other denom- 
inations have, and the government cannot be said to tol- 
erate Romanists one whit more than Methodists or Quak- 

* And if it should do so to-day it would as probably be Roman- 
ism as any, in which case Friends might appreciate and under- 
stand " toleration " better than now. 



CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE. 133 

ers, and such an 'abuse of the term toleratiofi, ' is most 
obvious. And yet another quasi editor, and also a ' su- 
perintendent of education,' instructs his readers that if 
they would only inspect the premises of a certain * pub- 
lishing company,' they would get a 'practical devionstratioji 
of toleration. ' Now we saw in a moment how it might be 
correct to use that word in connection with a business of- 
fice. For example, if a creditor who had a dishonest 
debtor in his power, should kindly forbear to enforce the 
law, and allow him to pursue a questionable business — 
that might be ' toleration. ' But when our editor came to 
explain his ' illustration of toleration,' it was both amus- 
ing and pitiful. That half a dozen different business men 
with different interests should get along together without 
' aft attempt made to trespass upon or invade each other's 
economy,' and that 'individual rights are held sacred,' 
ought not to be a remarkable thing. In Ohio we would 
not think of ' toleration^ ' in such a connection ; we would 
call it simple honesty or common decency. We suppose 
if these brethren were charged with ' tolerating ' rum sell- 
ing and licentiousness in Indianapolis they would speed- 
ily exonerate themselves by disclaiming both the power 
and the legal right to interfere. And without these * tol- 
eration is a much abused term' indeed. But 'tolerance' 
does not mean hidifference toward an opinion or custom 
supposed to be wrong. It does not even presuppose any 
change of conviction favorable to such opinion. It does 
not imply indifference to a supposed error, or a perfect 
willingness that it should continue. Not at all. It does 
mv^y convictioji on the part of the 'tolerant,' and such 
conviction of the truth as to deplore error, and seek by 
all legitimate means for its extirpation. Now these legit- 
imate means are not the same for the church as for the 



134 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

state. Legislation is the logic of the state, and the argu- 
ment of kings. The weapons of the church are not thus 
carnal, and for it to ' take the sword is to perish with the 
sword. ' God's ordained weapons for the destruction of 
error and the unification of beHevers in the truth are love, 
faith, patience, and mutual forbearance or 'tolerance,' and 
'the word of God.' To abandon these for legislation, 
however great the emergency, is to ' rely on the King of 
Syria, and 710 1 upon the Lord thj^ God . . . there- 
fore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.' And this 
has" been most fully verified in our history. All must 
agree that not only ' the unity of the Spirit ' but unity of 
opinion, if it be in the truth, is a most desirable and 
blessed thing. And it is because we so fully appreciate 
this, that we insist upon Christian tolerance, since that is 
the only possible way to bring it about. ' Love that is not 
easily provoked, thinketh no evil, beareth all things, en- 
dureth all things,' is the only platform upon which the 
Spirit can work as the unifier of God's people. And from 
this stand-point we affirm intolerance to be absolutely and 
forever inimical to, and incompatible with, true Christian 
unity. Excision is not unity, nor can the real thing ever 
be reached on that line. A phj'sician is not to secure the 
uniform health of a family by killing off the sick mem- 
bers of it, and burying them out of sight, but by restor- 
ing the sick to health. The Jirst might be much the 
shorter and least expensive method, but the state would 
deal with the doctor for manslaughter. And he might 
plead in vain that he only helped his patient off to an- 
other country that was better adapted to him than this. 
How many homes have been hospitals for a score of years, 
where mothers patiently wait and pray for the recover>^ of 
their sick? They are tenacious of their loved one's lives, 
and anj^thing else would be monstrous. And can it be 



CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE. 135 

any less monstrous for our mother the church to be less 
tenacious of her children than of her own ease and com- 
fort or even of the truth itself ? A man may have great 
tenacity of the truth in its outward formula, and not be 
himself inwardly transformed by it at all, and so be un- 
true to himself and all others, indeed be no more than a 
' whited sepulcher.' But to be maAo-free by the truth, is 
to hold it firmly and bring it to bear upon brethren that 
are held with equal tenacity. To relax this hold is to let 
them get beyond our reach for good. In fact it is not 
the errors of opinion held by our brother toward which 
we are required to exercise tolerance, but it is toward our 
brother himself. Between us there is a diversity of opin- 
ion. This of itself is not a good, but an evil. One of 
us is in the wrong. Neither party can claim infallibility. 
Possibly we may both be wrong. Christian love and mu- 
tual tolerance may conduct us to a middle ground that is 
right. Bvery consideration then points to this as most 
reasonable and right, while to turn from it is a forfeiture 
of all chances both for benefiting ourselves and our ' 
brother. Now this is not a tolerance that is to put a 
Christian on the same level as an ' infidel,' or a 'scoffer,' 
or a 'fornicator,' or an 'idolator,' or a 'railer,'or an 'ex- 
tortioner. ' It is not to invade that domain of fundamental 
truth which constitutes what all Christendom are agreed 
upon as the ' Gospel of Jesus Christ. ' It is 7iot to open 
a door for Liberalism, or Agnosticism, or any other ism 
that cuts the nerves of Christian life and work. 

"It is not to disparage church organization, and the 
proper and faithful exercise of its discipline under the 
direction and authority of its Holy Head. It is not to 
screen offenders who may have denied Christ, or the 
faith, or good morals, and from whom the church of 
Christ is commanded to separate itself. But it is to put 



136 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF 

the rights of Christian brethren parri passu, and upon 
the same level on all matters touching the non-essential 
or theoretical matters of the church. It is to preser^^e 
and guard a platform where individual responsibility to 
God, freed from the intimidations of tradition and eccle- 
siasticism, shall be at liberty to make 2i personal applica- 
tion of the general principles of the Gospel already ac- 
cepted. It has been the glory of our church to insist 
upon this personal responsibilit}' to God, and to set forth 
the sin and danger of shifting it on to a priest, or a 
church, or a council. Theoretically we have claimed to 
be Spirit-directed, Spirit-controlled, but often with such 
mental reservation as to practically dictate the action of 
the Holy Ghost, and thus prevejit it. The ' immediate 
guidance of the Spirit ' can be freely conceded to such as 
speak according to the ' traditions, ' and whose interpre- 
tations of most Scripture passages can be as accurately 
foretold a month before the}' preach as after they have 
finished, w^hile an intolerant spirit is quick to doubt and 
darkly insinuate against the fact of Divine guidance in 
case of a deviation from inherited opinions. Not only so, 
it is bold in its resolute purpose to destroy ministerial 
usefulness and character, and to invoke the anathemas of 
a church ' decree ! ' Yet unkind and unchristian treat- 
ment from those who differ must not be rese7ited, or mur- 
mured at, or even complained of bj^ those who suffer; 
' but let them glorif}^ God on this behalf. ' It therefore 
is in the interests of the church itself that we are con- 
strained to insist upon it that true conserv^atism as well 
as true * unity ' is best promoted b}^ full libert}^ of investi- 
gation and utterance, and not by smiting honest men in 
the mouth, even though we obtain a priestly authority 
to do so."' 



CHAPTER XV. 

A STANDARD-BEARER OF HOLINESS. 

" The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me 
free from the law of sin and death." — Rom. 8 : 2. 

7T S an introduction to this chapter, and to indicate how 
CI he was regarded by his brethren, both as to sound- 
ness of his doctrine upon this subject, and his skill in 
presenting it, we quote the words of the venerable As- 
bury Lowry, editor of The Divine Life, and for many 
years a highly-respected expositor and preacher of full 
salvation. He says: "It is both an interesting fact and 
a humiliating confession which we are obliged to make, 
that both of these Quakers (Dougan Clark and David 
Updegraff) are more able and accurate expounders of the 
doctrine, and more zealous promoters of the experience 
of entire sanctification, than the majority of Methodist 
preachers. To them it is evidently an unspeakable lux- 
ury ^' to spread Scriptural Holiness over these lands. '^ 
They are not obtrusive, but they enter every open door. 
" They are instant in season and out of season." 

Every word of this is true. Yet he would, in his pleas- 
ant way, explain that " the Methodists had no patent 
right on Christian Perfection, and that George Fox 
taught the same one hundred years before John Wesley." 
In this, as in other things, he would protest that " We 

10 (137) 



138 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. VPDEGRAFF. 

honestly think ourselves a genuine Quaker. ' ' And yet 
in this, as in other things, his immense catholicity of 
spirit appeared, and his interdenominational breadth was 
manifested and appreciated. 

This is one thing to be observed about the effect of the 
experience and ministry of Holiness. It tends to unify 
the churches. It is in the line of answer to the Lord's 
prayer that "they may be one." No artificial unifica- 
tion ever unites the sects. No effort at a gigantic or- 
ganic union of the churches of Protestantism need hope 
for any better outcome than what papacy and Romanism 
have produced. Many of the so-called ** unions" for 
purposes of meeting, etc., are procured at the cost of 
essentials, and are simply of the nature of a temporary 
armistice. But Holiness subordinates non-essentials, and 
magnifies and maintains essentials, and ministers to * ' the 
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." Every interde- 
nominational door that opened to David Updegraff — and 
they were many — opened because he brought the doc- 
trine and testimony of Christian Holiness. We know of 
no single exception to this rule. It was never because 
he came either to advocate or defend Friends' views; it 
was never because he came to advocate baptism, or any 
particular mode of its application ; it was never because 
he came as the representative of some humanitarian proj- 
ect, philanthropic institution. Sabbath obsen^ance soci- 
ety, or anything of that kind; but because he preached 
Holiness. Doors of many churches opened wddely to him. 
Camp-meetings always welcomed him. Indeed, some of 
them felt that they could not get along without him. 

The spiritual in the churches — all over the land — while 
true to that which distinguishes their denominations, are 
eager and hungry for that which belongs to us all, even 



A STANDARD-BEARER OF HOLINESS. 139 

the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel. This is what 
this man and minister of God declared unto them. Com- 
ing to Quakers, they were never served with debates upon 
the subject of water baptism, but with discourses upon 
the baptism with the Holy Ghost. Coming to Methodists 
or Baptists, etc., they were not treated to a dissertation 
upon the needlessness of " water," but to earnest exhor- 
tation upon the necessity of " fire." Ecclesiastical mat- 
ters and many doctrinal points were left undisturbed 
where he found them. So were political questions. Like- 
wise many details, even of Holiness as applied to taste 
and judgment and scruples of various sects. But the 
"great central idea of Christianity" was emphasized, 
explained, and enforced with, a wisdom and a skill, and 
an untiring zeal which few of us have ever seen equaled, 
and never excelled. 

Perhaps it might be said that he discovered or promul- 
gated no new truths on this subject. But he brought out 
old ones which seemed new to many, and in a way to ap- 
pear in new lights to all. Then he developed some pre- 
viously-discovered germs, which, in their full bloom, ac- 
quired an importance to this subject, perhaps hitherto not 
sufficiently appreciated. 

In this connection, many of us are under lasting obli- 
gations to him for the place and prominence which he 
was led to accord to the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, 
in connection with the entire sanctification of the human 
soul. In all doctrine there is a normal development. 
No doubt while, as David claimed, the doctrine of 
George Fox was the same as that of John Weslej^ yet, 
under God, Wesley was blessed in bringing it out to a 
clearer definition than it was understood to be by Fox, 
or, possibly, by the church in any age. So, too, it is 



140 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

probable that the modern Holiness revival has, in some 
points, unfolded the doctrine defined by Wesley, and 
brought out its symmetry and consistency more fully 
even, than appeared in his writings. It is comforting, 
however, to know that nothing has been brought out 
contrary to, or contradictory of, the teachings of Wesley. 
So that everywhere, in all denominations, where this doc- 
trine is taught and this experience witnessed, it is easily 
recognized as Wesleyan Perfection, though it is Wesley an 
only in the sense in which we .have indicated. It was 
known and taught in the church before his day. It has 
been elaborated and explained more fully in our own day. 
This mission of the Spirit in the sanctification of the 
believer is, of course, everywhere acknowledged. But 
that this mission is executed in what is called in the 
Scriptures the Baptism with the Spirit, and recorded 
there as the great blessing of the day of Pentecost, is not 
so fully emphasized. It is noticeable that many claim- 
ing the "second blessing," and yet withheld by educa- 
tional bias from accepting the doctrine of entire sanctifi- 
cation by faith, are disposed to restrict this Pentecostal 
Baptism to the enduement of workers for service. Brother 
Updegraff was greatly used of God in showing the ethical 
effects of this blessing upon the primitive Christian; in 
showing, too, that it fell upon men and women alike— 
the whole number, one hundred and twenty (irrespective 
of apostolic office), being filled with the Holy Ghost; and 
also that this baptism was distinctive — being different 
from all other blessings which even the primitive Chris- 
tians obtained. He further showed that it was not the 
first saving or spiritual blessing which these disciples en- 
joyed; but upon the other hand, that it was invariablj^ 
preceded by a goodly work of grace in the hearts of the 



A STANDARD-BEARER OF HOLINESS. 141 

recipients. The exact character and extent of this bless- 
ing he found clearly indicated by the symbol of fire with 
which the baptism was announced and attended; and by 
the emphatic testimonies of the Scriptures concerning it. 
And this "refining fire," this " purification of the heart 
by faith," he ably showed to be synonymous or identical 
with entire sanctification. This clear distinguishing of 
the "one baptism," from the refreshings oft, the plain 
showing of the subsequency of this baptism to the regen- 
eration, or new birth of the soul, the widening of the 
promise hereof beyond the range of only workers, till it 
covers all the servants, handmaidens, sons, and daughters 
of the Lord's house, and the focalizing of the Spirit's fire 
upon the purification of the heart, will be of permanent 
value to the church as it is unassailable from eitheran ex- 
egetical or an experimental stand-point. And it is a key 
to many other difiiculties in connection with the subject. 

His doctrine of Holiness was relentlessly opposed to 
Antinomian Errors. None more than he relied upon 
the merits of Christ's death for acceptance. Yet, none 
fought more valiantly than he that perversion of the doc- 
trine of Substitution, which would leave every man in 
sin (or sin in every man) and make Christ's personal 
righteousness a covering for man's filthiness, or a substi- 
tute for his obedience. With Paul he exclaimed : ' ' How 
shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ? ' ' 
And with Paul again, he declared that "the law of the 
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the 
law of sin and death." And in the ministry of this law 
to others he enjoined them, with the great apostle to 
" reckon themselves to be dead indeed unto sin." 

Who will ever forget his proclamation of the death- 
warrant of the ' ' old man ? ' ' How mightily and relent- 



142 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF- 

lessly he enforced the condemnation of sin in the flesh ! 
How he exposed the fallacy and showed the unphilasoph- 
ical as well as the unscriptural base of the theory of nec- 
essary retention of the dual nature as long as we *are in 
the bod)' ! He carefully distinguished between the natural 
man and the carnal man; between what some have called 
our " depraved self " and our " infirvi self." He showed 
conclusively that all of the language of the New Testa- 
ment contemplates the ' ' putting off , " the ' ' making dead, ' ' 
the "crucifixion," of the "old man," or the "carnal 
mind," or the "body of the sins of the flesh," and not 
merely the suppression of inbred sin. 

While allowing for blessings many and refreshings oft, 
he most jealously maintained, however, the distinctive- 
ness and completeness of that blessing which is most 
properly known as the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. He 
would carefully note the fact that it was always spoken 
of in the singular number, and with the definite article. 
It was the Baptism of Christ with the Spirit. And how 
beautifully and blessedly would he bring out the fact that 
He had come to stay, and that He was the Abiding Com- 
forter. 

His presentations of the experience of Perfect Love 
were exceedingly beautiful. In this connection he made 
much use of the illustration of marriage, showing first the 
sweet and anticipating enjo3'ment of that initial state of 
love wherein Jesus was the " lover of the soul," and then 
the ineffable delight of that consummation wherein Baali 
had become the Ishi of the soul, wherein " Christ, having 
loved the church and given Himself for it, presented it 
unto himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle 
or any such thing." This is the bride in her wedding 
apparel. 



A STANDARD-BEARER OF HOLINESS. 143 

As to blameless preservation m a state of holiness, David 
leaned strongly towards the side which emphasized the 
divine sovereignty. " The Lord is thy keeper," he would 
so often say. ' * He is faithful to keep that which I have 
committed unto him against that day," he would joyfully 
protest. And ' ' now unto Him that is able to keep you 
from falling," was a favorite doxology with him. In this 
he greatly comforted many who thought it was the power 
of their faith that was to keep them, instead of the power 
of God through faith. He made a fine distinction between 
loss of communion and loss of union which aided many 
in explaining some of their frames and moods which were 
a sort of paradox with their fixed religious state. 

Nevertheless, he duly recognized the possibility of sin 
after sanctification. He sometimes would preach upon 
' ' becoming a castaway ' ' even after having preached to 
others. He would warn him that assuredly standeth to 
take heed lest he fall. He would urge any that had 
lapsed, or, as he styled it, been struck by one of Satan's 
fiery darts, to flee at once to the doctor, lest the poison 
get through his system. He devoted much time and toil 
and many tears to the recovery of backsliders. 

Only eternity can tell the extent of the results of the 
Holiness ministry of this Joshua. How many entered 
that goodly land by his leadership, how many were taught 
by him to explore the land and do exploits, how many 
became teachers of others through his help and example, 
we have no means of knowing. Only we know that he 
was a mighty producer in -the spiritual world, bringing 
forth ' ' some an hundred fold. ' ' 

In the following chapter we will give a (condensed) 
sermon by Brother Updegraff, illustrative of his teaching 
on the subject of a second work of grace. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

STEPS IN THE EXPERIENCE OF THE APOSTLES. 

" For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith 
to faith."— Romans 1 : 17. 

THE apostles, with invariable unanimity throughout 
their writings and testimonies,, present the subject 
of spiritual life, not only as progressive in its character, 
but as progressing by separate and distinct stages. These 
stages, marked upon the human side by distinct acts of 
faith, and upon the divine side by the bestowal of distinct- 
ive benefits of the atonement; these resulting in distinctly 
marked Christian experiences, as indicated by Paul's ref- 
erences to " babes " and " perfect men, " and by John's 
classification of "children," "young men" and "fathers." 

None need an argument to establish this point, nor 
further citation of scriptural texts to show that the apos- 
tles urged progress, nor that they taught progression in 
distinctive steps. But many seem unable to mark these 
steps in the experiences of the apostles themselves. At 
least, particularly with respect to the two great epochs 
in spiritual life so clearly and constantly held before our 
attention, as the birth of the Spirit, and the baptism with 
the Spirit. 

Why this obscurity we cannot tell, unless it be due, 

(144) 



STEPS IN EXPERIENCE. 145 

either to the dullness of spiritual perception in those eyes 
which have not received the second touch, or to the errors 
and misconceptions which prevail in our times in the 
general teaching upon spiritual topics. Certain it must 
be that the apostles had taken some steps in spiritual ex- 
perience before the day of Pentecost. Certain again it 
must be that they took some other step on that memor- 
able day, which was different from any ever taken before, 
and which advanced them into a realm quite distinctive 
in itself, 

lyct us, then, examine " whereunto they had attained" 
before the day of Pentecost, and whereunto they were ad- 
vanced at the day of Pentecost. Or, to adopt the familiar 
language of the inquiry : (1) " When were the apostles 
converted ? ' ' and (2) ' ' Did the apostles ever receive the 
second blessing?" 

(1). It is necessary, first of all, to settle, if we can, upon 
the time when the apostles were " converted." A claim 
that they were ' ' sanctified wholly ' ' before Pentecost could 
not possibly be sustained, and is, perhaps, made by no 
one. But to deny that they were ' ' converted ' ' previous 
to that time, involves the most palpable and serious con- 
tradictions, and is wholly inadmissible. We think, then, 
that to draw the line between their partial and their en- 
tire sanctification, between the birth of the spirit, and 
their " baptism with the Spirit," at Pentecost, is to be true 
to the facts in their case as made plain in the Scriptures, 
and also to sound doctrine and the experience of God's 
people in all ages. " But if the disciples were ' converted ' 
before Pentecost, and really justified by faith, they must 
have heard the Gospel and received it." This they cer- 
tainly had the opportunity of doing through John the 
Baptist. It is distinctly declared in Mark 1, that " the 



146 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ " was when "John 
did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of 
repentance unto the remission of sins." That was ex- 
actly John's commission — "to give knowledge of salva- 
tion unto his people by the remission of their sins." 
And this is accompanied by the new birth, the birth of 
the Spirit, or regeneration, which "prepares the wa}^ of 
the Lord. " Or, it is that state which is necessarily prec- 
edent to the "Baptism with the Holj^ Ghost," by the 
Lord Jesus. 

Jesus Cometh "after me" said John, and His work is 
after John's work. His baptism with the Spirit " after " 
John's with water ; the one having reference to repent- 
ance and remission of sins, the other to "purge" away 
sin, or to sanctify. Justification by faith could not be more 
explicitly taught than it was bj^ John to his disciples in 
such passages as John 3 : 36, for example : " He that be- 
lieveth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that be- 
lieveth not on the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath 
of God abideth on him." Some of John's disciples left 
him and ' ' followed Jesus " the moment they first ' ' heard 
Him speak " and " abode wdth Him that day." 

Then they went to find their brethren, and brought 
them to Jesus, who welcomed them as His followers, and 
commissioned them to " go, preach, saying, the kingdom 
of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, 
raise the dead, cast out devils ; freely ye have received, 
freely give." " Received" what? Manifestly the gospel 
of their salvation ! ' * And whosoever shall not receive you, 
nor hear your words," etc., " it shall be more tolerable 
for the land of Sodom," etc., " than for that city." " Be- 
hold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." 
Could they be Christ's " sheep" and yet " unconverted?" 



STEPS IN EXPERIENCE. 147 

" And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for 
my sake." " The disciple is not above his master, nor the 
servant above his lord." " The very hairs of your head 
are all numbered." "He that receiveth 3'ou receiveth 
me." Is it conceivable that such a complete identifica- 
tion with the Lord Jesus could be affirmed of the uncon- 
verted Jew ? That Jesus was thus sending forth men to 
preach the kingdom of God to those who were yet ' ' sit- 
ting in darkness and in the shadow of death? " 

Can any reasonable man continue to believe it possible 
that Jesus could be thus giving men " power and author- 
ity [over devils," who were not themselves delivered? 
Were "lost sheep" sent to hunt lost sheep, the sick to 
heal the sick, the blind to heal the blind ? Such a thought 
is preposterous, and contradicted by the most explicit tes- 
timony of our Lord himself. " Rejoice," said He, "be- 
cause your names are written in heaven." "Unto you 
it is given to hold the mysteries of the kingdom of God." 
' ' Ye are they which have continued with me in my temp- 
tations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom." ' ' Thou 
gavest them me," "they have kept thy word," "they 
have received" "have known," "have believed," "for 
they are thine," " and I am glorified in them." " I pray 
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given 
me." "And the world hath hated them because they are 
not of the world, even as I am not of the world." 

Now, if language could possibly make a distinction be- 
tween the "world (that) hath not known thee," "these 
(that) have known thee," and that " thou hast loved them 
as thou hast loved me," then surely these repeated utter- 
ances of the Lord Jesus have made that distinction un- 
mistakably clear. Then on the human side, the conse- 
cration of these disciples to the work of the Lord Jesus is 



148 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

remarkably evinced, as they " left their nets " and " their 
father," and "their ship," — in fact, their all^ — immedi- 
ately at the call of Jesus, to " follow " Him and become 
" fishers of men." They " rejected the tradition of the 
elders, and went through the towns preaching the Gos- 
pel, and healing everywhere." They went in faith, " tak- 
ing nothing for their journey, neither staves nor scrip, 
neither bread, neither money," and " even the devils were 
subject unto them." 

Surely the testimony of such fruits of loyalty to Jesus 
ought to silence and rebuke every one that questions the 
regeneration of these men. But it is objected, " The dis- 
ciples could not have been converted before Pentecost, 
because the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was 
not yet glorified ! " This is to confound things that dif- 
fer. Certainly " the Holy Ghost was not 3-et given," in 
his fullness as the " Comforter," as the " Spirit of truth," 
as the ascension ' ' gift ' ' of the I^ord Jesus to such as al- 
ready "obey Him"— (Acts 5: 32). True, "the Holy 
Ghost was not yet given" as the "executive of the 
Godhead ' ' and the successor of the Lord Jesus in be- 
coming the head of the dispensation of the Spirit. It is 
onl}^ in such a sense that we can understand these words, 
and that the peculiar effusion of the Spirit that was " the 
promise of the Father," is here expressly set forth as j^et 
a matter of promise ! 

But it is equally clear and demonstrable that in a wider 
sense the Spirit was given, and had been in the world, 
and in the Old Testament church from the beginning. 
" He moved upon the face of the waters." He inspired 
the Old Testament prophets and writers and saints. 
Many of them are said to have been filled with the Holy 
Ghost. John the Baptist was thus "filled," the Lord 



STEPS IN EXPERIENCE. 149 

Jesus was thus "anointed," the disciples knew Him, and 
Jesus testified ' ' He dwelleth with you, and ' ' it" is not ye 
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh 
in you." Thus it was that through the Word preached 
by John and Jesus and the disciples, the Spirit wrought 
conviction and repentance in the hearts of many of their 
hearers, and such of them as " confessed their sins " and 
" received " Jesus were forgiven and received a new nat- 
ure and "power to become the sons of God." 

"A new heart will I give you and a new (or regenerate) 
spirit will I put within you," attests the presence and the 
regenerating measure of the Spirit's working, long prior 
to Pentecost. All that is needed, then, is for us clearly 
to distinguish between the regenerating work of the 
Spirit, known before Pentecost, and His infilling and in- 
dwelling presence in a sense unknown until then. These 
two are complemental parts in .the work of salvation, but 
not identical. Neither are they simultaneous, but suc- 
cessive; the former invariably preceding the latter. The 
beginning of life must always be distinguished from the 
perfection and fullness of life. In the former case, the 
Spirit works first upon men, then in them. In the latter 
case, He takes personal possession of their ' ' inward 
parts," and works through them for the salvation of 
others. In view of the simplicity, beauty, and natural- 
ness of this divine method, it is not a little surprising 
that there should be any dispute whatever about it among 
believers. And yet we must remember that the doctrines 
of the Holy Spirit, and even His work in regeneration 
and witnessing to the same, have been almost hidden, 
unknown, and dormant for ages, not only before but 
since the Reformation. 

(2). If we have now succeeded in establishing the fact 



150 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

of the "apostle's conversion" before Pentecost, there is 
but little required to ' ' find a second work or blessing 
coming on them " at that time. 

Nearly three years before, they had been called, "or- 
dained ' ' and commissioned to preach the Gospel by the 
I^ord Jesus, and great success had attended their minis- 
try ; but the}'- had not yet received their full equipment 
for the intensifying heat of the oncoming battle. They 
had " received the Hol^'- Ghost," but not in his personal 
fullness. They had been justified freely, but not " sanc- 
tified wholly." They had "been born of the Spirit" 
but not "baptized" or "filled with the Spirit." For 
this the}^ had "the promise of the Father," revived by 
their ascended Lord, and for their " sanctification " Jesus 
had devoutly prayed. In their probationary^ experience 
they had learned some lessons of great importance. There 
had been occasional developments of a spirit of selfish- 
ness, ambition, contention, jealous}^ and mistaken zeal. 
Some of them really thought they w^ere quite as ready to 
"go with Jesus both to prison and to death" as they 
ever would be. 

But in this and in some other things they needed to be 
"converted," or have a complete change of mind, for 
when the test came, "they all forsook Him and fled." 
To be sure, they had no directions, and could not possi- 
bly tell what was the best thing to do, especially as Jesus 
had given the rabble orders to " let these go their way." 
But the outcropping of the remaining self-life of the 
"carnal mind," reached a climax in the denial of Peter. 
Intimidated, perplexed and angered by a malicious and 
insolent crew, he lied and swore, just as many another 
child of God has since done when under strong provoca- 
tion. But not always do they repent so quickly as did 



STEPS IN EXPERIENCE. 151 

Peter, and weep in heart-broken contrition, as he met the 
pitying gaze of his grieved, yet loving and forgiving L,ord. 
Such an experience was well calculated to emphasize the 
necessity of deliverance from every inward foe, and of 
tarr>4ng at Jerusalem for the promised enduement of 
power from on high. 

He was a most suitable man to ' ' strengthen the breth- 
ren " in this purpose. No doubt he did it. They waited 
and they received. "Suddenly there came a sound from 
heaven." "And they were all filled with the Holy 
Ghost." " God purified their hearts." " With one mind 
and one mouth they glorified God." Henceforth, the 
transformation in their lives was as marked and marvel- 
ous as it had previously been at the time of their regener- 
ation. Faith, courage, and love were made "perfect," 
and now no man calls anything he possesses his own. 
' ' Pentecost ' ' commemorated the giving of the law at 
Sinai, and it was the fitting time for the Holy Ghost to 
write it in the hearts and minds of the disciples. It was 
fifty days after " Passover," which commemorated deliv- 
erance from death and judgment by the blood of the 
I^amb. And just as "Passover" and "Pentecost" are 
thus separated, so our personal " Passover " and " Pente- 
cost ' ' can never be one and the same thing, or come at 
the same time, but the one must succeed the other in the 
very nature of the case. The temple was first built, then 
the glory of the Lord filled it. So He first builds His 
spiritual temple in us, and then, if wholly consecrated to 
Him, His Holy Spirit comes in to purify and dwell there, 
to keep and to guide us, and to glorify Jesus. 

(3). Once more we may briefly show that the same 
distinctions in Christian experience that have been cited 
in the case of the disciples are plainly recognized and 



152 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

dealt with in each of the Epistles and churches of the 
New Testament. That as a practical fact, Christians are 
spoken to and of, who are distinctly recognized and de- 
scribed as such, and yet just as distinctly urged to be- 
come "sanctified wholly" or to be "filled with the 
Spirit." The "beloved of God at Rome " had a " faith 
that was spoken of throughout the world," and yet they 
are besought to ' ' present their bodies a living sacrifice, 
hol}^ and acceptable unto God." "The church of God 
which is at Corinth, sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to 
be saints," recipients of " the grace of God," and " babes 
in Christ," are, nevertheless, admonished about their 
"contentions," their "carnality," their "walk according 
to man," and several accompanying evils. They are 
taught that the way of consecration and "perfect holi- 
ness " is to " cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the 
flesh and spirit." The Galatians had been " called unto 
the grace of Christ," and "begun in the Spirit," but 
were foolishly endeavoring to be "made perfect by the 
flesh," instead of being "crucified with Christ" and 
" glorying onlj^ in the cross." 

' ' The saints which are at Kphesus and the faithful in 
Christ Jesus ' ' were to ' ' put off the old man and put on 
the new man," and to "put away all bitterness and evil 
speaking with all malice," and to "be filled with the 
Spirit." 

' ' The saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi ' ' are 
assured that ' ' He which begun a good work in you will 
perfect it," "that y^ may be blameless and harmless, the 
sons of God without blemish. ' ' 

' ' The saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are 
at Colosse" are to " mortify (make dead) therefore, your 
members which are upon the earth; fornication," etc., 



STEPS IN EXPERIENCE, 153 

' ' that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will 
of God." 

"The church of the Thessalonians," who had received 
the Gospel " in power and in the Holy Ghost," needed to 
have their hearts " stablished unblamable in holiness," 
and to be "sanctified wholly," and for this Paul earnestly 
prayed. 

The Hebrews, who were "partakers of the heavenly 
calling ' ' were to ' ' take heed, lest there be in any of you 
an evil heart of unbelief ' ' and to * * follow holiness with- 
out which no man shall see the lyord." 

And to the churches in Asia the Holy Ghost has spoken 
to precisely the same efiect, holding forth to believers 
their " acceptance with God, "through the gift and " grace 
of our I,ord Jesus Christ" on the one hand, and their 
still remaining inbred sin and failure on the other. He 
thus holds in wondrous wisdom the even balance of truth, 
with its encouragements, and warnings, teaching us that 
all our need shall be supplied " according to his riches in 
glory by Christ Jesus," " and that we may indeed glorify 
God in our bodies and our spirits which are His." Holi- 
ness, then, — holiness needed, offered, enjoined, and prom- 
ised, — is to be obtained through the blood of Jesus Christ 
and the ' ' Baptism with the Holy Ghost. " " He that 
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches. ' ' 



11 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HIS POSITION ON THE CHURCH QUESTION. 

"I wist not brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is 
written thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." — 
ACTS 23 : 5. 

^I^Iy degenerations among Christians evidence them- 
Cn selves sooner or later, surely and forcibly, in the 
rule or government of the church. Not always or ever 
so quickly, in its legislation, but invariably in its admin- 
istration. And this with most remarkable inconsistency 
many times; for, laxity in applying discipline to the rich 
and those who are socially influential, often goes side by 
side with the most intolerant papacy in applying strict- 
ures, prevention and punishment to those whose greatest 
riches are in liberty of conscience, and freedom in giving 
utterance to a full and fearless Gospel. 

Romanism itself and the growth of Romish tendencies 
in the periods of spiritual declension in various Protestant 
churches, evidence the fact that nowhere, in all the fabric 
of the Christian system, is remaining carnality in believ- 
ers or recurring backslidings among professors, more cer- 
tain to be felt and seen than in the ambitions, jealous- 
ies, covetousness, love of power, autocracy, political meth- 

(154) 



THE CHURCH QUESTION. 155 

ods, sectarianism, intolerance, bigotry, etc., which too fre- 
quently characterize the legislative bodies, the judicial 
tribunals and the executive offices of the churches. This 
is predicated of no one particular church merely, but it 
is true of churchism the world over and the generations 
long. And true in exact ratio with the carnality of men 
and ministers, and most true, as a rule, of the larger and 
more popular churches, since these, in making numbers 
and social position their ambition, have opened their doors 
the wider to the incoming of the world, and have lowered 
their standard of doctrine and discipline below a proper 
restraint upon carnality, and below the hope of its com- 
plete destruction in this life. 

Now, the experience of Christian holiness and a com- 
mission to proclaim it, bring one at once into a distinct 
war with carnality and more particularly with sin in be- 
lievers; and hence is opened the great and grave church 
QUESTION among holiness witnesses and advocates. We 
have already alluded to our having heard the subject of 
this memoir elucidate and emphasize Kphesians 6: 12 — 
' ' We wrestle not against flesh and blood . . . but 
against . . . spiritual wickedness in high (or heav- 
enly) places." He showed very clearly and quite forci- 
bly that these high places were not in the atmosphere, 
nor in the " third heavens," nor in some intangible form 
and uncertain place, but they are iJi the church. The 
very same location indicated by other texts which speak 
of our ** sitting together in heavenly places," etc. Not 
that holiness has any war with the church. God forbid! 
Nor that it has any conflict with "the powers that be," 
or " them that have the rule over us in the lyord." Nay, 
verily. But it is diametrically opposed to sin. It is spe- 
cially zealous against ' ' sin in believers. ' ' And as a con- 



356 MEMOIR OP DAVtD B. UPbBCkAPP. 

sequence, a revival of holiness in a churcli, which is in 
any measure degenerate, will precipitate a conflict similar 
to what has been experienced in the individual heart. 
"The flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit 
against the flesh." There is a manifest contrariness. 
"These are contrary the one to the other." To the one 
the other seems stubborn; to the other the one seems per- 
verse. Sectarianism, priestly domination, worldly meth- 
ods of church finance, politics, etc., distress the wholly 
sanctified; and the simplicity, spirituality, deadness to 
the world, revivalism, zeal for holiness, etc., of the pure 
in heart grate upon those who mistake churchism and 
churchianity fi)r the church itself; and who confound 
the selfish usurpation of power over the consciences 
and liberties of others, upon the part of ambitious pre- 
lates, with a just and holy oversight of the house of 
God. 

We look with much interest at David Updegraff's atti- 
tude and course in this matter ; for we believe it may serve 
as a precedent for many who are in bewilderment. And 
we remark, in the first place, that he yielded to no tempta- 
tion to become a church anarchist. Some have done this, 
we fear. They have resisted rightful authority. They 
have spoken evil of dignitaries. They have broken away 
from the wholesome restraint of all church government. 
They have ruthlessly sacrificed the protection of ecclesi- 
astical law. They have made the blunder of denying 
and decrying any and all visible church organization and 
authority. No so, David. Though no man more than he 
was conscious of the sham, and shallowness, and show, 
of much church life, no man more than he could see and 
feel the injustice, the intolerance, the unmercifulness of 
degenerate, decayed and defiled ecclesiasticism. And he 



THE CHURCH QUESTION. 157 

had too great a soul to view and regard this only in its 
bearings upon the individual rights and peace and happi- 
ness. He could see and estimate its effects upon the king- 
dom of Christ, upon the spread of holiness, upon the evan- 
gelization of the world. Such a nature as his, so heroic, 
so magnanimous, so indignant at injustice, might easily 
have mistaken impatience for a commission to release 
himself and others from the apparent drawbacks and dis- 
advantages of submission. But grace held him, the Spirit 
of God directed him. The love of Christ constrained him. 
He could be content with what Providence allowed, with- 
out compromise with what carnality occasioned. He could 
rebuke ecclesiastical corruption without losing respect for 
the church, and without leading others to lose respect for 
it. Happy art ! Holy accomplishment ! None but one 
filled with the Spirit could so discriminate, and maintain 
a course consistent herewith. 

In the second place, David UpdegrafI never evinced 
the slightest zeal or inclination to form a new church. 
Though there may have seemed occasion and very favor- 
able opportunity, it never entered his mind or heart. He 
was preserved from the error of some in supposing that 
a new denomination built upon the plane of a required 
sanctification as a condition of membership, would solve 
the problem of holiness in connection with ecclesiasticism. 
He never even seemed to think that his supreme mission 
as a sanctified leader was to rebuke the abuses and cor- 
ruptions of those in authority, though he observed them 
and bore fitting testimony concerning them. His mission 
w^as neither that of the construction of a new church, nor 
the destruction of an old one. It was a mission of life 
and love and liberty to the individual heart, and of church 
life and love and liberty, just in proportion as the indi- 



158 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF^ 

vidual members entered the same. Holiness is death to 
sectism in two ways. First, by killing zeal for sectarian 
enterprise. Second, by killing that within the church 
upon which sectarianism thrives. But it never kills sec- 
tarianism by a direct war upon any of the sects, nor by 
the formation of a new sect for itself. 

We might remark, in the third place, that Brother Up- 
degraff never dreamt of solving the ecclesiastical difficul- 
ties in the way of a holy life and ministry, by changing 
from one church to another. There may be individual 
cases, and local conditions, under which such changes 
may, in some instances, be advantageous. But in the 
very nature of the case, there can never be either a call 
that such a transfer should be general, nor a hope that it 
will produce a permanent cure of the evils sought to be 
corrected. That God may, in different generations, raise 
up a I/Uther to found Protestantism, or a Fox to establish 
the Society of Friends, or a Wesley to inaugurate a revi- 
valistic movement that should later become one of the 
churches, we cannot dispute. But David Updegraff was 
conscious of no such commission, and he was too sensible 
to expect to find in any of the churches an ecclesiasticism 
more spiritual than the church itself. 

But he abode in the same calling wherein grace found • 
him. Notwithstanding the conservatism which stood in 
his way, and the absence of spirituality in many of those 
who had the pre-eminence and the rule, he, nevertheless, 
found ecclesiastical recognition and authority as a minis- 
ter, which gave him many open doors, and which resulted 
in untold benefits and blessings to the people and the ec- 
clesiasticism with which he was identified. There is to- 
day a better type of evangelical Christianity in the Ohio 
Yearly Meeting of Friends, many times better, than when 



THE CHURCH QUESTION. 159 

he began his ministry. And this spiritual improvement is 
shared by other meetings in proportion as his opportuni- 
ties and influence were extended beyond the limits of his 
own meeting. We believe there is wisdom in the study 
of his course and its consequences here, for those of us 
who encounter difiiculties similar to those which con- 
fronted him from men of power in the church. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

INTERDEXOMINATIOXAL WORK. 

" I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians ; both 
to the wise and to the unwise." — Rom. 1 : 15. 

WE have already alluded to the fact that as an am- 
bassador of Holiness he became an apostle, or, 
rather, a pattern and a promoter of the highest type of 
Christian umt3\ This, however, let it be known, with 
no sort of defect in his allegiance to his own church. On 
the contrary-, those of us who were sometimes nearest 
him in his most popular and powerful work among the 
churches, can bear testimonj^ that " his heart's desire 
and praj^er to God for Israel was that the^^ might be 
saved." 

When doors opened among the Friends (though some- 
times at a lesser apparent advantage) they alwa^'s had the 
preference over others. In fact, during the earh' 3'ears 
of his evangelistic work, his labors were almost wholly 
confined to the Friends' church. The tidal wave of spir- 
itual power that had set in upon his own people, made 
such demand upon his time and strength that, to go be- 
3-ond them, was out of the question. 

The Christian Worker (a Friend's journal; has this to 
say concerning him and his relation to the great re\dval 
among the Friends: " His great breadth of mind, sound 

(160; 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 161 

common sense, keen perceptions, ready grasping of facts, 
wide knowledge of character, remarkable gift of humor, 
his clear-cut illustrations in preaching, and evident pres- 
ence of the Holy Spirit in his heart and work have ren- 
dered his ministry phenomenal in his own church. And he 
has been among the most approved in bringing about the 
extensive revival of evangelical religion with which the 
Friends' church has been blessed in various localities for 
the last twenty years. His ministry is in the power of 
the Holy Ghost, and wonderfully blessed to the saving of 
sinners and the sanctification of believers. As a public 
teacher of evangelical truth, and a manipulator of meet- 
ings held for the promotion of holiness, he has few equals, 
and, perhaps, no superior. Of late his work has ex- 
tended greatly among other denominations, and his wide 
experience and versatile gifts have opened for him a re- 
markable field of usefulness. And through faithful obe- 
dience ' to the Heavenly Call ' David Updegraff has been 
the instrument, in the hands of the Lord, of leading 
multitudes into the light and liberty of the Gospel of 
Christ." 

Regularly, for many years, he journeyed to Philadel- 
phia, at the time of the Friend's Yearly Meeting there, to 
conduct meetings for spiritual profit in the parlors of that 
elect lady, Elizabeth Farnum, who opened her house at 
these times that her own people, as well as others, might 
share the blessings of his ministry. 

At all our great camp-meetings he manifested a pecul- 
iar interest in Friends, who, drawn by the announcement 
that he would be there, or by their general interest in 
these great themes, had come to the feast of tabernacles. 
At his own home church he would serve the very cream 
of the products of this goodly land, and besides this, 
watch every opportunity to bring in fellow-laborers from 



162 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

abroad, to give his people the best of everything he 
found, as well as the best of what he himself had. 

Yet, notwithstanding this loyalty and love for his own 
" tribe " (as he would sometimes playfully speak of it), 
the church at large felt, and he felt, that he, in a sense, 
belonged to us all. Here is a Friend's testimony to his 
interdenominational work: "From this time he went 
forth as God's gift to the entire church — too grand and 
too broad to be limited by any one denomination — and 
oh, how eagerly his message of full salvation was re- 
ceived by Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopa- 
lians, and many others." 

We might remark here that the interdenominational 
type of this modern holiness revival is calculated to bring 
out more clearly and conspicuously what we think is a 
just distinction between sectarianism and denominational- 
ism. That there is, at least, a permissive Providence un- 
derlying the history and sustaining the existence of the 
several distinct denominational bodies of Christians, we 
have no doubt. But that the exaltation of " our " church 
as "the" church, or above or against the church as a 
whole, or other denominations in particular, is a crime 
against our fellow-man and a sin against God, must be 
more and more evident as one drinks in of the fullness of 
the spirit of unity, and the completeness of Christian love. 

The demand for a Holy Ghost ministry supplies the 
key to unlock doors that are otherwise barred against 
those who march under other tribal banners The grace 
of perfect love impels men to press out beyond the bound- 
aries of their own respective churches with the Gospel of 
this great salvation to the whole family of God. Secta- 
rianism has its root and its nourishment in carnality, and 
holiness is death to this— root and branch. 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 163 

With the spread of the holiness movement there is sure 
to be, and already is, a decline of sectarianism. An ad- 
vocate of holiness may not please the remaining bigots in 
his church by obliterating sectarian lines thus and minis- 
tering to all aright, but it is the universal experience of 
those who possess this grace that they must minister the 
same to all God's people alike. 

The holiness conventions and camp-meetings particu- 
larly welcomed Brother Updegraff to this interdenomina- 
tional work. Here Episcopalians, Baptists, Presbyterians, 
and others mingled with Methodists to wait upon the 
Lord in the tented grove. Here he never obtruded "fam- 
ily matters," as he would call them, of his own church; 
nor did he foster in others any disposition to do so ; nor 
to a discontent, as though they could not live a holy life 
in their church; nor to a censorious spirit, complaining 
of their lack of liberties or of their oppression there. 
" What shall one do? " demanded a brother in open serv- 
ice at a camp-meeting, with the appetite which this experi- 
ence creates, ' ' when he only gets hard tack and bean soup 
at home ? " * ' Burst in the cupboard and help yourself. 
Next ! " was his quick rejoinder. One so aggressive, so 
independent, and so ardent in his protests against eccle- 
siastical intolerance might easily sound the cry of " Come- 
outism," which is a kind of church socialism or anarchy. 
But no ! his judicious head was as cool as his loving heart 
was warm. The farthest he ever went was to invite peo- 
ple out for an occasional meal from home, telling them 
that "a change from home cooking was wholesome as 
well as pleasant for almost anybody." This, indeed, 
seems to be the Providential relation of these holiness 
meetings to the churches. Not designed to build up or 
tear down, but to supplernent and uplift. Not able to 



164 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

effect church unity by organization for that end; but to 
promote it by creating greater opportunities for the One 
Spirit to operate in all the churches. Various sub-organ- 
izations of the church have grown up in our times to sup- 
plement her work in different specific directions. Y. M. 
C. As. for the interests of young men; W. C. T. Us. to 
forward Temperance reform, etc. These are like differ- 
ent members of the body, each filling a place and doing 
good work. But the simplest of all these auxiliary organ- 
izations, and the one closest to the heart and mightiest 
in its effect and blessings, is that which spreads Christian 
holiness by the employment of evangelists, the holding of 
conventions, assemblies, and camp-meetings, the circula- 
tion of literature, etc., for the promulgation of the doc- 
trine, the witnessing to the experience, and removal of 
obstacles and furnishing of opportunities for God's people 
to enter in. 

We might mention many of the meetings in which 
David Updegraff was, from time to time, called to preach 
the truth and lead the people over the Jordan, but we can 
do this better by giving the reader his own brief field 
notes of a single summer's campaign, extracted from the 
" Friends' Expositor : " 

"FIELD NOTES. 
[Page 588.] 

"More properly they might be called notes of the field, 
since we have not even made a memoranda of anything 
at the time, and must depend on memory and the Chris- 
tian Standard, as we give our readers just a glimpse 
into the various meetings in which we have principally 
been engaged for the past three months. We are cau- 



JNTMRDMNOMlNAflOkAL WOkK. 165 

tious in the use of superlatives, yet we trust that it is 
true, when we say that it has been the best summer's 
work we have ever known. We have been careful for 
nothing, but to know God's will and do it. We have not 
spared ourselves, but strength has been graciously be- 
stowed and we have lacked for nothing. Physical health 
has been almost perfect, though we have stood in front 
of the battle from early morning until the doxology at 
night, nearly all the time and sometimes preaching three 
times a day. Praise God ' that the life also of Jesus may 
be made manifest in our mortal flesh.' The kindness, 
cooperation, and confidence of fellow-ministers of all de- 
nominations could hardly be exceeded. Perfect love has 
had right of way and has marvelously seemed to pervade 
every place and everybody. We have been graciously 
helped of God in preaching to more people than ever be- 
fore, and though we have no record of numbers, we 
know that multitudes have found gracious answers to 
their prayers, and we have not seen a single barren serv- 
ice. To God be all the praise. 

"Our ten days in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, were di- 
vided between the Holiness Convention in I^iberty street 
church, and our friends of the Butler street M. K. church. 
Rev. W. F. Oldham, pastor. In the former, we were as- 
sociated with Brothers Pepper, Smith, Walker, Hudson, 
McKee, and other dear brethren in a meeting of great 
profit and blessing to all in attendance. At Butler street 
we also held a few meetings, assisted by Brother Walker, 
with a good degree of blessing and profit, especially so, 
when the excessive heat was taken into the account. 
Pastor Oldham says, ' More than one precious bark that 
had for years been hugging the shore was pushed off into 
the' deep waters of Gospel fullness at these meetings.' 



166 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

It was here that our dear brother, Rev. E. F. Walker, of 
Fort Collins Presb3^terian church, Colorado, joined us 
according to a previous understanding. It was our great 
pleasure here to enjoy the hospitality of our valued 
friends, the Carnahans, the Neelds, the Robinsons, the 
Dodges, and the Dennetts from New York. 

*'At Glenolden, Pennsylvania, on June 20th, in com- 
pany with Brother Walker, we began a nine daj^s' meet- 
ing with our dear brother, Rev. E. O. McFarland, pastor 
of the Presbj'^terian church, in this beautiful suburb of 
Philadelphia. Services were held in the grove just in 
front of the church. An ample platform for preachers and 
singers, and seats enough for a very large audience, and 
the whole beautifully furnished with electric lights, had 
all been arranged and provided by the courageous faith of 
Pastor McFarland. The attendance was good from the 
beginning and increased to the close. Rev. F. E. Smilej^ 
and other neighboring ministers took an acceptable part 
in the work. The word of the Lord had free course, and 
as one of the brethren puts it, 'Many souls were con- 
verted, many Christians were filled with the Hoi}'- Ghost, 
and many more were left with the blessing of hunger and 
thirst after righteousness.' The hospitality of Elder 
Knowles and Brother and Sister McFarland was un- 
bounded, and Mrs. McFarland' s faithful service at the 
organ, and in every good work, was most highly ap- 
preciated. To the admirable courage, indomitable en- 
ergy, and consecrated zeal of Brother McFarland and 
his devoted wife is largely due the blessing and success 
of this meeting, all of which w^e record for the glory of 
God. 

" The Mountan IvAke Park Meeting began on the 
4th of July. Or, it really began in the prayer meeting the 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 167 

evening previous, where the attendance was large and the 
spirit of the meeting was excellent and fruitful. The 
morning of the fourth was an ideal one, even for Mount- 
ain I^ake Park. This was the largest of any of the seven 
opening meetings held on this ground. The company 
was easily seen to be a representative one. Our beloved 
John Thompson was in his happiest vein, making a few 
opening remarks full of hope and courage and kindly 
commending us as leader of the meeting to the Holy 
Ghost for wisdom and guidance, and to their loving sup- 
port and sympathy. Brief salutations, testimonies and 
prayers followed until an invitation to the altar was ac- 
cepted by more than thirty persons, and this first service 
closed in victory and blessing for many. The greetings 
among so many dear brethren and sisters were never 
more cordial. The crowd of those usually present at 
this camp-meeting seemed in no wise diminished, while 
the number here for the first time was greatly increased. 
Brothers Pepper, Carter, Smith, Clark, Walker, Conner, 
Boole, Friend, Hadley, Grob, Davis, Ogle, Gilmour, Hud- 
son, McKee, and sisters Williams, Kenney, Boyd, Boole, 
Mills, Sharp, Neeld, Small, Downey, Boyd, Amanda 
Smith and many other workers, evangelists and minis- 
ters, whose names do not occur at this moment, were 
present this first day of the meeting. Brothers Keene, 
Boyle, Hussey, brother and sister Willing, and many 
others, arrived a little later. They all came in the full- 
ness of the blessing of the gospel, and were used by the 
Holy Ghost for the help of others. Their various gifts 
were exercised for the profit of all in the public services, 
with freedom and power, as the Lord seemed to call for 
them, and with great acceptance to the people. The most 
delightful unity and harmony prevailed. There were no 



168 MEMOIR OP DAVm J5. VPDEOkAPF 

jealousies, or striving for chief seats, but preferring one 
another in love. The whole meeting was one grand love 
feast. The preaching was of the highest order, and on 
deeply spiritual lines. The exhortations and prayers, and 
sermonettes, and songs and testimonies, were in the Spirit, 
and most effective in results. To the large number of 
beloved brethren and sisters who were so cordial and 
tireless in their co-operation throughout these gracious 
services, we extend the heartiest thanks, and our appre- 
ciation of their loving forbearance and kindness. We 
cannot particularize here, but clip a few * nuggets ' else- 
where. The work of conversion and sanctification went 
steadily forward with increasing power throughout the 
meeting. Thus, to a great many persons, this was the 
' best camp-meeting ' they ever attended, and it was good 
enough for the rest of us. To God be all the glory for 
another most blessed meeting at Mountain Lake Park. 

" Eaton Rapids, Mich., was our next meeting. We.' 
began on the 23d day of July, closing August 2d. We 
found here a large body of solid Christian men and women, 
a good portion of whom were in the light of full salva- 
tion. This Michigan Holiness Association is one of the 
best organized and equipped that we have seen. Rev. 
W. T. Cogshall, of Kalamazoo, was the President, and 
Rev. M. M. Callen, of Jackson, Secretary, Chorister, 
Chairman of Committee on Public Worship, etc. Their 
grounds are well chosen, bounded on one side by the 
beautiful Grand river, and well built up with substantial 
cottages. We were joined by our special co-laborers for 
this meeting. Rev. Knoch Stubbs, of Philadelphia, and 
Major J. H. Cole, of Adrian, Bishop Mallalieu, Dr. Potts, 
and others came in most acceptably as the meeting pro- 
gressed. Holiness had right of way here from the be. 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 169 

ginning, and the work of sanctification and justification 
went forward together in every service. There was a good 
proportion of conversions among the large number that 
were blessed at the altar in the different meetings during 
the series. The number of young preachers baptized with 
the Holy Ghost was rather larger than usual, we think. 
The brethren were most cordial in their co-operation, and 
fraternal sympathy and unity prevailed. All denomin- 
ations were represented, but the lines were invisible. Our 
association with the brethren and sisters who labored in 
word and doctrine was delightful and profitable, and we 
do thank the Lord for the meeting at Eaton Rapids. 

' ' Pitman GrovK was reached early on the 7th of 
August, and we were glad to learn that the meeting was 
going well, under the care of Presiding Elder Relyea. 
Doctor Jones and others had been preaching for a week, 
and we found a large number of choice workers on the 
ground. We were soon reinforced, too, by the coming of 
Captain Carter, Doctor Clark and others. From the first 
moment, we were made to feel our cordial welcome to 
the hearts of the people, and by the dear brethren of the 
Association. Nothing could exceed the cordial transfer 
of leadership, by our esteemed Brother Relyea. In a few 
well chosen words of fraternal love and welcome, he com- 
mended us to the confidence of the people, and invoked 
the blessing of God upon all of the future meetings. We 
were made to feel the warm response of the congregation 
and ministers present, and preached our installation ser- 
mon at once, with much liberty and blessing to our own 
soul at least. There were the Tent meeting as usual in 
the early morning, noon and evening, led by Brother 
Stocton, Sisters Smith, Kenney, Boyd and Van Name — 
meetings of great freedom, power and blessing, without 



170 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

an exception. The young people's meeting, led by- 
Brother L3'on, and the childrens' meetings, in charge of- 
Brother and Sister Thompson were also very effective and 
fruitful. Then in the great auditorium the meeting was 
almost continuous from 8: 30 a. m. to 10 p. m,, held with 
a variet}^ freedom and power that is rareh^ to be found in 
any other great camp-meeting. And this is a ' great ' 
meeting. It is unique in this respect. Thousands are 
pouring in daj^ and night from Philadelphia, and neigh- 
boring towns, besides those living on the ground, who 
come to the vieeting. The attractions of -popular sea-side 
resorts are not the object here. Preaching tournaments 
hy star preachers are not encouraged nor provided for by 
the management of Pitman Grove. Their supreme object 
seems to be that all of the meetings shall be held in the 
' power ' of God, and that ' Pitman Grove and power * 
shall alwaj^s be S3mon3'ms. 'While the Association has 
such men as Walton, Brown, Williams, Cassadj^ and other 
associates at the front, encouraged and assisted b}- Elder 
Reh'ea and the noble band of men in the New Jersey 
Conference, Pitman Grove can never be surpassed in the 
true excellence of its ministry, the zeal of its workers, 
and the extent and thoroughness of the work accom- 
phshed. Doctor Gilmour is unexcelled as a leader of song, 
and the music this year was ' better than ever,' we believe 
was the general verdict. The closing ser\"ice was an oc- 
casion to be remembered. The prayers and praises, and 
songs, and parting words, and tears, and tender good- 
byes, all combined to impress the eager multitude with a 
sense of the power of religion to make human hearts 
happ5' and lo^'ing. Thus closed our sixth 3-ear at Pitman 
Grove Camp-meeting, and we acknowledge to have felt 
deepl}^ moved at the overwhelmingly kind and hearty 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 171 

invitation to return next year. We could say no other 
than ' If the Lord will.' 

"To GreenviIvLB, Pa., we oame next, after a brief 
and much needed rest at Ocean Grove with loved ones 
there. It was our privilege, on several occasions before 
leaving, to lead Mrs. Palmer's Holiness meetings in the 
Tabernacle, which the dear Lord graciously owned. We 
reached the camp at Greenville merely for the closing 
days. But we found a beautiful little city in the valley, 
and an excellent meeting going on in charge of Brother 
Burchfield. The people were eager to listen and prompt 
to respond to invitations to seek the Lord. The days we 
spent there were, we think, very profitable, and not a few 
found the blessings they sought. We were glad to make 
the acquaintance of many dear brethren whom we had 
never met before; and also to meet a few valued friends 
of former years. At the close we thankfully turned our 
face homeward. 

' ' Ohio Yearly Meeting began in a few days after 
reaching home, and we were glad to welcome the dear 
brethren and sisters who came flocking in from far and 
near, to this great annual feast. A goodly number of our 
own ministers came, and some dear brethren from other 
Yearly Meetings. John Henry Douglas from Iowa, and 
yet not a stranger, but well known and beloved as a ser- 
vant of Christ, all through our limits. The same is true 
of Dr. D. Clark, from Indiana. Prof. Thomas Jones and 
wife, from New York, were strangers, but none the less 
welcome, and all did great service in the loving and faith- 
ful ministry of the Word. The business of the church 
was transacted with despatch and in the most fraternal 
love and unity. Gospel Meetings every morning and 
evening, and 'business' gave way for a little religious 



172 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

service at anj^ time. Liberal offerings were made in the 
face of the meeting for Foreign Missions and the evan- 
gelistic work. We do not think there was a single sour 
or displeased or disappointed person present. All praise 
be to Jesus our ]U)rd and Leader. Our beloved brother, 
Elias Rogers, an Elder and Christian worker from Can- 
ada, was present a part of the time, and from a private 
letter of his we clip a few sentences, as the expressions 
of a stranger : ' I greatly enjoyed my visit and was much 
pleased to note the harmony which prevails in your 
Yearly Meeting. It is not often that one is privileged 
to witness such showers of spiritual blessings as came 
down upon the people at almost every session. I have 
never attended a Yearly Meeting where there was such 
a large proportion of young people, mostly in the enjoy- 
ment of a rich Christian experience. Then the number 
of conversions and sanctifications during the Y. M. seemed 
to be very large for such a gathering. I think there were 
several cases at almost every one of the morning and 
evening meetings. As for thyself, thee should be greatly 
encouraged to press forward in thy Master's service, as 
He may lead. The hearts of your people seem to be as 
one.' We close this record of the gracious dealings of 
our Lord with us under a deep sense of our own weakness 
and unworthiness, and ascribe all praise, power, glory 
and honor unto Him who is ' able to do exceeding abund- 
antly above all that we can ask or think.' ' O Lord of 
hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.' " 

At many of these meetings he was deemed almost in- 
dispensable and he is now greatly missed. At all of 
them he was much beloved and many at every place call 
him blessed. But perhaps there is one meeting of which 
we should speak more fully, and which more exactly rep- 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 173 

resents David Updegraff in views and methods and spirit 
than any other in the country. We refer to the Annual 
Feast of Tabernacles held at 

MOUNTAIN I.AKK PARK 

Which is located on the top of the Allegheny Mountains, 
in Garrett County, Maryland. Here the people, preach- 
ers, evangelists, representative men and women, together 
with the rank and file of Christians of all denominations 
resort annually for spiritual recreation and a holy feast. 

If this meeting could be preserved in its distinctive and 
unique features, we believe it would be the best monu- 
ment that could possibly be reared to his memory. From 
the beginning of its history, he has been identified with 
it (together with Dr. Dougan Clark) as its leader under 
the Captain of the lyord's hosts. In no meeting has his 
own personality been less hampered and more fully at 
play, with all of his powers, than here. And we venture 
to say that in no camp-meeting, the country over, have 
the liberties of God's people and the liberty of the Holy 
Ghost been more fully enjoyed than here. Brother Up- 
degraff' s relation to the meeting was wholly spiritual, he 
having nothing whatever to do with the material arrange- 
ments or the financial plans. These, by unmistakable 
links of Providence, have, from the first, been in the 
hands of that blessed and anointed man of God, and in- 
timate friend of David Updegraff, the venerable John 
Thompson of the Philadelphia Conference, Methodist 
Episcopal church. 

We are not sure indeed, but that the camp-meeting at 
Mountain I^ake Park is in some sense, a child of the se- 
lect and blessed parlor meetings held annually at the 
home of Mrs. Farnum in Philadelphia, by Brothers Upde- 



174 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

graff and Clark, At all events, when the gateway opened 
upon this lovely mountain top, for Brother Thompson to 
plan to have a spiritual gathering of people and partic- 
ularly of Christian workers there, his mind instinctively 
turned to the interdenominational phase of things and to 
these anointed men of God as associated with him in its 
management. 

We shall notice a few of the conspicuous characteristics 
of this meeting, first, because (as we have remarked) they 
are so like David Updegraff, the subject of our memoir. 
Second, because we think they may well be emulated by 
holiness camp-meetings throughout the whole country. 

The management is of the simplest form possible. The 
meeting is not under ecclesiastical control. It is not 
even planned or provided for by a camp-meeting associ- 
ation. I^et us not be misunderstood, as though we would 
reflect upon ecclesiasticism or associations. All ministers 
participating in these meetings are personally responsible 
to some church, and the meeting itself is the guest of the 
Mountain I^ake Park Company (which is not, however, a 
camp-meeting association). So that sound doctrine and 
good behavior are sufficiently well assured by this two- 
fold amenability, while the meeting is left unhindered to 
follow the course of Providence and the leadings of the 
Spirit. 

As a rule we are opposed to the one-man management 
of anything in which many men are interested. On the 
other hand, sometimes at camp- meeting as well as else- 
where, it is true that "Too many cooks spoil the broth." 
We believe that the general arrangements and temporal 
management of this meeting are very wisely left in the 
hands of Brother Thompson alone. God and the people 
both do trust him, and he proves himself "a workman 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 175 

that needeth not to be ashamed." Our only apprehen- 
sion is for the future of the meeting, after he is called to 
join David up yonder. But this we can trust with God. 
The financial features of the meeting never obtain any 
prominence, though it is not endowed, nor proyided for 
by gate fees, nor burdened with frequent collections. 
The meeting rests where all Christian enterprise should 
rest, upon the free-will offerings of the people. These 
are generally made on Sabbath morning, and by private 
voluntary subscription. The meethigs are remarkably free 
of pre -arrangement and programme. We think many 
camp -meetings are spoiled by over- arrangement. The 
Holy Ghost is precluded by programme many times. Not 
so here. True, provision is made for the presence of 
men and women of God to help in the battle of the I^ord. 
These are selected with a view, not. to their popularity, 
nor to their official positions in the churches, nor to their 
scholarship or eloquence; but always with a view to their 
spirituality and their aptness to understand and to follow 
the voice of the Holy Spirit. This wonderful camp- 
meeting would seem, on this account, to some, to lack 
enterprise. It has no taking cards; no great special days 
are announced. It bears marks of the simplicity of the 
Gospel. lyike the Master Himself, it has, perhaps, to the 
worldly eye, no beauty, or form, or comeliness to com- 
pete with the " attractions " offered at some other places. 
It depends wholly on the magnetic attraction of the 
Spirit's presence and power. // is a school for ministers, 
evangelists, and others, rather than a market for the dis- 
play for their products. Preachers coming up here need 
not feel embarrassed if they have forgotten to bring their 
sermons. Evangelists will, for a time be relieved of the 
feeling that this is * ' my meeting and I must look after 



176 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

it." The usual sensitiveness and jealousy found at camp- 
meetings at " my being overlooked while others are called 
upon to preach," etc., find no place here. The very type 
of the meetings relieves many of the thought that they 
may be drafted into service, and gives them soon to feel 
that thej^ are to have that oft coveted rest and opportu- 
nity for waiting upon God, and attending a school of the 
prophets. . 

Thus there is great freedo7n, much spontaniety, and un- 
ending variety hi the services. One can scarely ever tell 
what is coming next. If a brother or a sister has been 
spoken to concerning preaching, it is with a stated or an 
implied "if the Spirit wills," for the meeting may take 
quite a different turn. Indeed, it often does so. The 
"after meeting" is sometimes at the beginning of the 
service. Or a brother unexpectedly asks liberty to speak. 
It is accorded; and he proceeds to make some humble, 
heart-breaking confession, or perhaps to state some per- 
plexities or troubles, or just as likely to pour out a vol- 
ume of pent-up praise. The tide rises. It becomes ap- 
parent that preaching is not the order of the hour. 

May be the whole assembly goes down on its knees. 
The entire place i becomes an altar. Or some one that 
must have relief breaks out in strong supplication and 
fervent prayer. Very probably a score get saved or 
sanctified. The time has flown. The service breaks in 
holy laughter, or in a general love-feast and hand-shak- 
ing, everyone feeling that God has led the meeting. Of 
course, it does not always take such a turn. But as the 
lord's ser\^ant rises to preach, he is sure to be sensible 
of an atmosphere of freedom and power and receptivity 
and faith, much beyond the ordinary. He is apt to for- 
get himself and the clock, too. People can sometimes 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. 177 

scarcely believe that it is the same preacher they have 
heard elsewhere, so manifestly is he carried above and 
beyond himself. Often the power of God falls on the 
congregation during the sermon; sinners cry for mercy; 
believers press into perfect love. Workers take a new 
enduement. 

The following day the meeting may begin with ques- 
tions, which direct the course of the meeting, perhaps for 
hours, or for several services to follow. And the follow- 
ing day it is something else. And as one reviews it, he 
has to conclude that, unseen at the time, there was a close 
connection between these different links and a steady pro- 
gression from hour to hour and from day to day, which 
man could neither have forseen nor have executed. 

The doctrine of Holiness and the Office-tvork of the Holy 
Spirit are the leading theynes of preaching. Not that any 
restriction is put upon any preacher; not but that the sub- 
jects of repentance, regeneration, and retribution receive 
more attention than they do at many other places. But 
something in the atmosphere, more than anything in the 
advertisements of the place, tell both preacher and peo- 
ple that everything here shall wear the inscription, " Ho- 
liness unto the I^ord." No part of the great theme is 
overlooked. The practical, the experimental, and the doc- 
trinal sides of it are fully and faithfully presented. So, 
too, is its relation to the new birth, and to growth in grace, 
its bearings upon church life and Christian work. Its tes- 
timony and its terminology all receive due attention. 

In all of these services David Updegraff was present, 
and always at the helm. But so unostentatiously, so pru- 
dently, so gently, as to rarely ever seem to be managing 
the meeting at all. Yet nothing was ever allowed to drift 
or to drag or to become irrelevant, unprofitable, or inju- 



178 MEMOIR OF DAVID B, UPDEGRAFF. 

rious. His keen scent, his quick ear, his apt wit, his 
dauntless courage, his tender love, his flaming passion 
for souls, all under the mighty touch of the Spirit, 
equipped him for the varying exigencies of such a meet- 
ing as this. 

Few persons are aware of the difficulties and the dan- 
gers which arise in a Feast of Tabernacles of this kind. 
Many imagine that an assembly of God's choicest people, 
with the fullest liberty accorded to the Holy Ghost for 
guidance and superintendence, w^ould scarcely need any 
management of anj^ kind, or human leadership. But this 
is a grave mistake. Difficulties arise out of 

First. The infrequency of such Pentecostal gatherings. 
Few persons are acquainted with the habits of the Holy 
Spirit, and are so accustomed to their own habits, and 
the habits of formal churches, that the}^ do not know 
how to adapt themselves either to waiting on the Spirit 
or to working with the Spirit. 

Second. Some mistake liberty for license. That is, for 
license to consume the time, or to ventilate their own 
views upon various subjects, or to represent the various 
interests with which they rnay be identified. This causes 
danger of unprofitable and unfruitful consumption of the 
Spirit's precious time. 

Third. Some are fanatical, and must be restrained. 

Fourth. Some are controversial, censorious, and com- 
bative, and would introduce counter currents in the meet- 
ing. 

Fifth. Some have come more for their own sensible grat- 
ifications than with a passionate desire for the salvation 
of others, and, as a consequence, they are very likely to 
get in the way of the precipitation of results. 

Sixth. All have infirmities of one kind or another, 



INTERDENOMINATIONAL WORK. ■ 179 

which, like even the good children of a family, would at 
times get in the way of the main interests, which need 
the loving head and heart and hand of faithful parents to 
conserve. 

The very joys and delights of such fellowship make 
demand for special guards against dissipation. The re- 
sponsibilities and the eternal interests at stake, call for 
much more than average prayerfulness among God's peo- 
ple. The opportunities for social and individual work 
need looking after and vigilance. The crucial junctures 
which arise in the most spiritual meetings call for a mas- 
ter hand. In one word, ike leadership of the Spirit, does 
not suspend the necessity for the leadership of men who are 
anointed a7id filled with the Spirit. 

David saw this. He recognized himself as the Spirit's 
agent. He courted counsel, and used advise, but rarely 
seemed to need it. The right thing came to him at the 
right moment. He made great improvement of these 
meetings for accomplishing two or three subordinate 
ends, in which he manifested no little interest. One was 
(to use his own expression) to break " the hitching-straps 
with which many of God's children are tied at the mouth.'' 
He insisted that there was a vital connection between 
heart liberty and tongue liberty. He held that any tim- 
idity, any prejudice, any habit, any fear of man, or any- 
thing else, which restrained one from praising God, from 
public prayer, from testimony to salvation, from talking 
to souls, must be done away in order to the highest lib- 
erty and the deepest peace. 

Another was, he was determined, by the grace of God, 
to follow Paul's injunction in helping those women who 
labored with us in the Gospel. Mountain I^ake Park 
knows no difference between those who are called of God 



180 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

to preach His word, ou account of sex. Upon the serv- 
ants and upon the handmaidens is the Spirit outpoured, 
and they do prophesy. Not only in preaching, but also 
in the minor services of the kingdom , these daughters of 
Zion are not only allowed, but are encouraged and urged 
to use their liberty. Many of these received their first 
commission, and the gifts and labors of many men have 
been greatly enhanced at Mountain Lake Park. 

Once more. David, as God's servant, in leading this 
meeting, was never content that it should end with itself. 
That is to say, he showed a great earnestness and a mar- 
velous tact in making it a self -reproducing meeting. Re- 
vivals have been born here. Evangelists have started 
here. Pastors have taken on the revivalistic stamp here. 
The seed of Mountain Lake is like the handful of corn 
on the top of the mountain, the fruit whereof shakes as 
the cedars of Lebanon. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HIS VIEWS UPON VARIOUS TOPICS, POLITICS, 
HEALING, ETC. 

ONE SO independent, so vigorous in thought, so strong 
in conviction, and so conscientious, could not be 
without views upon the leading topics of his time. 

There are, however, a few traits of character which he 
steadily evidenced in this connection which are, perhaps, 
quite as valuable to us as the views themselves. One of 
these was his refusal to give prominence, either i7i public 
or in private, to matters which were not directly relevant 
to the great work of salvation in hand. This was exceed- 
ingly noticeable, and was the more remarkable since men 
with minds so prolific as his, and with characters so 
broad, are the more apt to either be ever at some new 
theory, or else dazzling the intellects of others with the 
great diversity of topics and themes which they can throw 
into prominence. David was unlike these, but more like 
Paul, who ' ' determined not to know anything among 
men save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." It requires 
a heroic determination and a manful executiveness to 
confine one's self within the range of the essential, while 
there are so many other things which entertain, and 
which by many are deemed important, and by most con- 
sidered quite requisite, to prove that one is not narrow. 
Our beloved brother invariably kept to the main track. 

(181) 



182 MEMOIR OF DA VI D B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Another thing. He was unflinchingly consistent with 
his own great doctrijie of Tolerance. No one need ever 
wonder where he stood upon a question; yet, upon the 
other hand, all others were quickly made to feel at liberty 
to take their own stand with their own convictions, even 
though they might be on quite the opposite side from his 
own. Or, if any were slow in coming to light and convic- 
tion, he was so patient with them, so free from a party 
spirit or bigotry, and yet so free from apathy or indiffer- 
ence. So anxious that everyone should see aright and 
believe aright, and yet so unwilling that anyone should 
be coerced. Wonderful and blessed combination ! 

In Politics, perhaps, he might be regarded as peculiar 
in his views, and by some a disappointment. (No doubt 
of it; who wouldn't be?) Though quietly exercising the 
citizen's right of franchise, and though firmly believing 
that righteousness exalteth a nation, and sin is a shame 
to any people, he nevertheless had no faith that a7iy great 
radical cure of even national sins could be effected by polit- 
ical means. He might see restraint to evil-doers, and a 
measure of protection to personal life and property in 
wholesome legislation and faithful administration, and 
from this stand-point would cast a ballot for the party or 
the man whom he deemed most likely to approximate 
this end. But he had no hope of the world's reformation 
this way, nor of men's evangelization. His hope, in fact, 
was only for the individual man, not for aggregate hu- 
manit}^, either in the nation or in the church. He was 
quite skeptical concerning schemes of any kind for Chris- 
tianizing man en-masse. His study of sociological prob- 
lems was made tributary to his dealing with individual 
conditions. He was pot zealous for society, but aflame 
for the soul of a man. 



HIS VIEWS UPON VARIOUS TOPICS. 183 

For the interest of the reader we introduce a few ex- 
tracts, showing how David thought and spoke on a few 
questions. Here are some of his thoughts on 

THK SABBATH QUEvSTION. 
(Clipped from page 199 of Expositor.) 

' ' The country is flooded with publications abounding 
in arguments to prove that the ' seve7ith day ' of the week 
is the only true Sabbath, and endeavors to show that the 
first day of the week has no divine sanction whatever. 
All of this effort is accompanied with a zeal that might 
be most telling if it were according to knowledge and in 
some useful and worthy cause. But while multitudes 
will accept the destructive half of this teaching and im- 
bibe a contempt for the Lord's day, very few, indeed, 
will ever care for the arguments or be influenced by them 
to observe the seventh day. At best, it can possibly do 
no more than proselyte a few good souls of a morbid con- 
science from an observance of one day to that of another. 
We are asked if there is any foundation whatever for all 
of this ado, and our views on soul-sleeping. We have 
not the time nor jthe inclination to enter into any ex- 
tended discussion of these questions. As to the latter or 
the conditional immortality of the soul, we think it a doc- 
trine of the devil, constantly contradicted by the word of 
God, as well as the internal consciousness of mankind. 
The spirits of the wicked and the lost are as certainly un- 
dying and immortal as are the spirits of the righteous. 
And the cunning arguments and artifices to show it 
otherwise are but so much of perdition's chloroform to 
hold the sensibilities in slumber until God's day of 
offered salvation shall pass. And though the Sabbath 
question is far more plausible, and less dangerous doc- 



184 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

trinally, it is a first-class illustration of the truth that 
* the letter killeth. ' A scrupulous adherence to the mere 
letter of law is certain death to its true spiritual signifi- 
cance. It would seem that most people either rest in the 
outward letter, or law, or despise it altogether. We 
ought to do neither. 

"1. The perpetuity of the fourth commandment in the 
decalogue is urged as establishing the sanctity of the 
' seventh day. ' Now if we insist on being literal, it 
reads, * the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed 
it,' and this sanctification of the 'Sabbath' is not merely 
a numerical thing, and limited to the seventh day of the 
week, but it is of moral significance, and a sanctity that 
is transferable to any day in the week that might ever be- 
come the Sabbath, or day of holy rest, by Divine appoint- 
ment. The Sabbath that God ordained and hallowed was 
more than a day of twenty-four hours. It was an iristitu- 
tio7i, a moral principle, unchangeable in its nature, and 
belongs as fully to the first day of the week as to the 
seventh, if it can be shown that this transfer has been 
made in the Divine order, and of this we shall give some 
proof. That the observance of the Sabbath should occur 
on the seventh day in order to celebrate the work of crea- 
tiojt accomplished in the six days that preceded it was, 
indeed, most fitting, and when the foundations were laid 
' the morning stars sang together and the sons of God 
shouted for jo}^' But in the birth, life, death, resurec- 
tion, and ascension of the Lord Jesus there was laid the 
foundation of a neiv creation infinitely more glorious than 
the first. And ' the multitude of the heavenly host ' that 
sang * Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men ' proclaimed a more stupendous 
work and a greater joy than ever ' morning stars ' were 



HIS VIEWS UPON VARIOUS TOPICS. 185 

capable of comprehending. And if the former creation 
was worthy to be celebrated by a Sabbath on the seventh 
day, much more is the latter, by a Sabbath on the Lord's 
day, or the first day of the week. 

"2. Christ constantly asserted that He was 'Lord of 
the Sabbath' and that He made it, for 'all things were 
made by Him.* Johnl: 3. And that ity 'the Sabbath"* 
the institution itself, and not merely a certain day of the 
week, ' was made for man,' for his benefit, for repose of 
his body from secular toil, for his soul's communion with 
God, and for his worship and work. It was thus in the 
nature of a joyous privilege^ and not a task, or burden, 
or a yoke to be used by the Pharisees as a fetter for the 
feet, even of the Lord himself. It is urged that ' God is 
unchangeable.' So He is, but that attribute is not ques- 
tioned by the fact that His laws are progressive to meet 
the needs of His people. And the same Lawgiver that 
prohibited every beast of the field that did not ' part the 
hoof and chew the cud,' and thus make it unclean to the 
few, could sanctify the same beast by His word, and 
command Peter to ' slay and eat,' teaching the Christian 
that * every creature of God is good, and nothing to be 
refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanc- 
tified by the word of God a.rv6. prayer.' 

"Just so it does not impeach the unchangeable character 
of God, that the Son of man, by whom the fourth com- 
mandment was given forth, and the seventh day of the 
week appointed to the Jew for his observance of the Sab- 
bath, should, as ' Lord of the Sabbath,' move its observ- 
ance one day forward, or to iho^Jirst day of the week for 
the Christian believer. Nay, this is most reasonable and 
harmonious with Divine methods and dealings through- 
out. j3 



186 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

"3. That Jesus Christ did Himself do this very thing 
is, we think, the unmistakable teaching of Scripture. 

"«. The typical import of the Sabbath seems to require 
the removal of its observance to theyfr^/, or Lord's day, 
of the week. But upon this we cannot dwell. 

* ' b. This day was distinguished from all other days of 
the week by our lyord, when on its early morning He rose 
from the dead. This was not an accident. 

' ' c. On ' the first day of the week ' Jesus ' appeared ' 
to His disciples after His resurrection, as it is repeatedly 
declared. 

'V. It is almost certain that the descent of the Holy 
Holy Ghost at Pentecost was on ' the first day of the 
week,' and that on this day the Lord Jesus began to 
' build His church,' with the 3,000 souls that gladly re- 
ceived the Word and were baptized. 

'V. That the church from this time forward observed 
\h}t first day, and not the seventh, as the 'Sabbath,' is 
beyond all reasonable doubt. It commemorated the res- 
urrection of Jesus, which was a corner-stone doctrine in 
all of their ministry. 

*y". It was 'upon the first day of the week when the 
disciples came together to break bread,' or to eat the 
Lord's Supper. 

''g. It was ' upon the first day of the week ' that Paul 
charged the church at Corinth to lay by in store their 
offerings to the Lord — an act of worship. 

"/;. John speaks of 'the Lord's day' in a way that 
clearly implies its general observance for public Worship, 
and that this change of day for the Sabbath was by the 
authority and teaching of Jesus Christ, and so under- 
stood by the apostles, is fully testified to by Justin and 
others. 



HIS VIE WS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 187 

"r. The example and practice of the apostolic church 
is good authority for us, since they were invested with 
power in the administration of the affairs of the church 
which Christ declared would be ratified in Heaven." 

ON INHERITED TENDENCIES. 
[Page 264 of " Expositor."} 

''Question. ' What about inherited tendencies to evil 
which remain in our physical frame after the heart is 
purified, are they of the nature of sin and can we hope to 
be saved from these also?' Answer. Entire sanctifica- 
tion delivers from all sin, not from all the inherited ef- 
fects of Adam's transgression. Mental, moral, and phys- 
ical infirmities are still our misfortune, though not our 
guilt. Yet they are so many avenues of susceptibility 
through which Satan may seek to entrap us, either by 
encouraging a morbid scrupulosity or in condoning real 
wrong. We must discriminate between the carnal mind 
or 'body of sin to be destroyed' and the infirm body 
which we live in, and * groan, waiting for the adoption— 
the redemption of our body.' There is no limit to the 
power of God to help our infirmities, and it is difficult to 
fix the boundary line between every manifestation of in- 
firmity and sin, and it is not our province to do so for 
others or ourselves — but take the benefit of the cleansing 
blood in every case of doubt. God knows how to dis- 
criminate between nervous excitability and sinful impa- 
tience, though men do not." 

ON WHAT IS CALLED THE CHRISTIAN WORLD. 

[Page 525.] 

* ' Religious papers are passing it around there are ' oyer 
430,000,000 of professing Christians' in the world. Yes, 
that many people that* profess' to live in some civilized 



188 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

country! That 'profess' not to be heathen! But any 
thinking person knows that the great majority of such 
'professors ' are more heathenish than the heathen. Bru- 
talized by Mammonism, even the morality of so-called 
Christian lands (?) is destitute of vertebrae! The relig- 
ious optimism of our day is as senseless as it is vicious. 
As wicked as it is foolish. It is as though the watch- 
man cries ' all's well,' when flames are bursting from the 
roof of your dwelling. The truth is, that the time has 
come when it is not much of a ' profession even to belong 
to a church, to say nothing of a nation.' How many 
' professors ' have any real spiritual life ? The * Virgins ' 
were only half and half, and that is a high estimate for 
us. Christians indeed ! When from the pulpits of every 
sect in the universe can be heard anything from mild in- 
fidelity to the most blatant blasphemy. We will quote 
an utterance from three preachers of different denomina- 
tions and all noted men. First man. — ' Few intelligent 
Christians believe that the earthly body has any resur- 
rection ! ' That is the intelligence that ' changes the 
truth of God into a lie.' Second man. — ' It is as much a 
Christian's duty to love his country as his God. To an 
American, the stars and stripes ought to be as much of 
his actual religion as the Sermon on the Mount, and as 
much his duty to go to the polls as to the lyord's table!' 
This is Christianity epitomized in politics and patriotism, 
and the Jew, Mohammedan or Pagan can be as good a 
Christian as anybody ! Third man . — ' Man has not fallen , 
and he does not need a deliverer; the're is not a wrath and 
a curse upon him; there never has been an atonement, 
and there needs none. God needs not to be reconciled to 
his world in which he has been living and working. ' 
1' The last is the safest because the blasphemy is un- 



HIS VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 189 

disguised. Rev. M. J. Savage, of Boston, is one of those 
deep thinking (?) scholarly preachers, but whose name is 
amazingly suggestive of his theology. Careful psychic 
study has bred in him a hope that immortality is to be 
discovered as an open fact of to-day. Indeed! ' Oh! 
fools, and slow of heart to believe .^ ' " 

ON MISS willard's enthusiasm for combines. 

* * Miss Willard is certainly enthusiastic in her estimate 
of the results that are to follow human combinations. We 
are not quite sure whether the following sentence in her 
speech at the Women's Council is her real opinion, or 
merely a rhetorical flourish. If the latter, it is very fine. 
If the former, it is not so fine: 

' ' ' When every woman shall say to every other, and 
every workingman shall say to every other, * Combine, ' 
the war dragon shall be slain, the poverty viper exter- 
minated, the goldbug transfixed by a silver pin, the saloon 
drowned out, and the last white slave liberated from the 
woods of Wisconsin and the bagnios of Chicago and 
Washington.' 

" It is true that on such a platform ' isms ' of all sorts 
might stand with professing Christians, so long as there 
is nothing evangelical spoken of, and Unitarians are se- 
lected to preach the sermons. But we never expect to see 
any moral reform amount to much, in which there is a 
union of believers with the anti-christian spirit of the 
world. Christian people can accomplish little without the 
Spirit of Christ, and the Holy Spirit will never undertake 
the leadership of a medley of Christ and anti-Christ. 
If it is Christian work, let it be done by Christians, and 
if it is the world's affair, let worldly people look after it. 
Christians have efiough to do to follow the Holy Ghost in 



190 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

His work, without compromising themselves in an une- 
qual yoke, and dabbling in the projects of vien. The 
spiritual and the political can never be made to mix. 
The atmosphere of the one is forever unsuitable to the 
other. And nothing can be more demoralizing than an 
apparent fellowship with those from whom we really differ 
to the heart's core, on matters essential to our Christianity. 
" But the Sig7ial says : Miss Willard ' parted company ' 
with Mr. Moody fourteen years ago, ' at the cross-roads 
of honest and devout opinion,' on this very subject. At 
that time she wrote in her journal, ' Brother Moody's 
Scripture interpretations concerning religious toleration 
are too literal for me ; the jacket is too straight ; I cannot 
wear it.' The passage differed upon was II. John 10-11. 
We cannot concur with the argument in the Signal, 
that seeks to prove that Christ acted upon what is called 
the ' inclusive ' or ' cosmopolitan,' or ' neighborly ' method, 
as opposed to ' separateness.' Christ's 'manner of life' 
socially, was to * eat and drink ' as others did, but while 
He was among the people, He was never of them in any 
sense. And in so far as Mr. Moody has ' broadened his 
spirit of toleration,' beyond the language of II. John 10, 
it is occasion of profound regret to his evangelical friends. 
We are glad to see it stated that ' Mr. Spurgeon and Dr. 
Parker have both left the Liberation Society for the dis- 
establishment of the Church of England, as they find 
themselves unequally yoked with atheists and agnostics, 
and belie^^e that a religious work should be done only by 
religious men." 

ON DIVINE HEALING. 

" Some take the ground that it is in God's plan and 
purpose that the healing of diseases by divine power, and 



HIS VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 191 

without the use of medical remedies, should be as com- 
vionly and tmiversally granted as are forgiveness and 
cleansing from sin, to ' whosoever shall call upon the name 
of the Lord.' We think this is an extreme position, un- 
tenable and unsupported by scripture. And a prevalent 
tendency to urge this view upon all believers that are 
afflicted, without discrimination, is no doubt to be re- 
buked. 

" We firmly believe that Jesus Christ is the same yes- 
terday, to-day, and forever, and that in His infinite love 
and compassion He is still healing many that are sick. 
And though often tempted to question why it is that He 
does not heal all of the sick that are brought to Him, as 
He once did, we dare not thus question or complain, but 
acquiesce in His sweet will, and know that He doeth all 
things well, and that ' all things work together for good 
to them that love the Lord.' " 

ON BIRTHRIGHT MEMBERSHIP. 

" For many years the Friends' church has to some ex- 
tent realized that the question of hereditary membership 
was a serious one. There was no such membership in 
the early days of the society. It was only as a result of 
the violent reaction against a hierarchical church, that 
Friends ' fell in the Charybdis of an hereditary church,' 
and seem never to have fully adopted a birthright mem- 
bership, or a ' lay eldership,' nnXil as late as 1725 or later, 
but had in the beginning vigorously protested against 
both. The sad result has been that, a nominal and tra- 
ditional membership, has constantly had the ascendency 
over a truly qualified membership. This subject is at 
present claiming increased attention within the various 
Yearly Meetings, and in some of them steps have been 



192 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

taken in order to simplify and improve the provisions of 
discipline in reference to it. The grave inconsistency of 
the church in retaining a double standard of church mem- 
bership is made obvious as we consider two facts. First, 
in the case of applicajtts^ great care is exercised in order 
to ascertain their entire fitness to be received. Second, 
in the case of children born in the church. They are 
recognized as members as a matter of course. These 
often grow up without any true allegiance, and some- 
times with a feeling of real opposition, to an organiza- 
tion which imposes obligations without any choice of 
their own. The direct tendency is to secularize the 
church — and to promote traditional Quakerism at the ex- 
pense of that which is vital. For a church that protests 
against infant baptism because of non-accountability, to 
bestow church privileges on their own children, on ac- 
count of natural birth, is to reach a climax of inconsist- 
ency. For the only difference is in the mode of admis- 
sion, the one being a public consecration of the child to 
God, and solemn vows to bring it up in the nurture and 
admonition of the lyord, and to this extent at least. Script- 
ural without a question. The other, entirely destitute of 
public covenant, and often without even a secret one, as 
there is great reason to believe. 

' ' We have no question but that parents ought in some 
way to publicly dedicate their children to the I^ord in 
their very infancy, and also to solemnly assume their 
own obligations to rear and train them for God. Chil- 
dren should thus be regarded as the wards of the church, 
and enjoy all of its religious and educational privileges, 
and claim its prayerful interest and watchful solicitude 
in a special sense. Diligent endeavors should be used to 
bring them to the Savior, and when there is good evidence 



HIS VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 193 

of true conversion, they should be lovingly encouraged to 
unite with the church in full membership. The action of 
the late New York Yearly Meeting was, however, adverse 
to any important change in the provisions of its discipline 
on this matter. We subjoin some extracts from an edi- 
torial in the (I^ondon) Friend, commenting upon their ac- 
tion, which we think is much to the point. {Italics ours.) 
The editor * thinks the time is fast coming when it will be 
absolutely necessary for London Yearly Meeting to give 
close attention to the subject. The large and influential 
expression of opinion in opposition to birthright member- 
ship at the last Yearly Meeting on ministry and birth- 
right, is in itself a sufficient warrant for this opinion.' 

" This utterance of New York Yearly Meeting, whether 
conclusive or not to that body, will not, we feel sure, sat- 
isfy a large number of Friends on both sides of the At- 
lantic who have long regarded the incongruities of our 
present system of membership as injurious to the best in- 
terests of the Society. The Committee to whom the con- 
sideration of this matter was entrusted appear to have 
been unprepared to grasp the wide bearings of the subject. 
Their examination of Scripture has resulted in deepening 
their impression of the glory of that heritage which is 
truly the birthright of the children of godly parents ; but 
they seem to have confused this with the privileges apper- 
taining to birthright in the Society of Friends — a very 
different thing. They find it ' impracticable ' to make any 
* gradation of membership ' in the Society, and therefore 
conclude that the children of Friends should be recognized 
as members so long as they * attend our meetings for 
worship and manifest an interest in our religious Society.' 
And they base this recognition on promises to believers 
and their households. Though they must know that as 



194 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

our Society is constituted it contains many parents who 
cannot be so designated, and on convictions as to the con- 
duct of ' true Christians,' which notoriously cannot al- 
ways be depended on. 

' ' We believe this is almost the first time that an appeal 
for the reconsideration of Birthright Membership has been 
definitely entertained by any Yearly Meeting. The re- 
sult seems unfortunate ; those who would like to see a 
change will be disappointed with the decision arrived at, 
while a large number of those who would not approve 
of any change being made will object to the grounds on 
which that decision is based." 

ON DIVINE JUDGMENTS UPON REJECTORS AND PERSECU- 
TORS. 

"George Fox said that he ' saw the visitation of God's 
love pass away from Derby, and a judgment upon it be- 
cause it rejected his witness and put him in prison. ' We 
copy this from The Expositor of January, 1888, written 
then to warn the churches against their shameful treat- 
ment of the Lord's servants on account of the ordinances. 
Only two years have passed and we record just a little 
history, withholding names and places for the present. 
But in three different congregations that we could men- 
tion by name, ministers and members were conspicuousl)^ 
dealt with by the authorities with prompt severity and in- 
tolerance because of their views on the ordinaiices ! But 
it was done in pursuance of legislation of the several 
Yearly Meetings. Since then these meetings have 
been the subjects of the most disgraceful and injurious 
public scandals concerning their 7ni?iisters, or elders, or 
their families. And whether true or false, as spread 
abroad by the newspapers, the churches have suffered 



HIS VIEWS UPON VARIOUS TOPICS. 



195 



terribly if not irreparably. And when we notice that 
these three meetings belong to different Yearly Meetings, 
and are separated from each other by Hundreds of miles, 
it reveals such a coincidence of wro7ig and afflictio7i as to 
suggest beyond a doubt the relation between them, ot 
cause and effect. Is any one of our Yearly Meetings 
willing to take a warning, and magnanimous enough to 
retrace its suicidal steps of legislation ? ' ' 

ON ELDERS AND THEIR USE. 

"'A Perplexed Friend,' in the Worker, has been 
made happy in discovering 'What Elders are for.' He 
found it in a Monthly Meeting when some were being 

' 7nade, ' and it was urged that Sister ' had always been 

a sweet spirited Friend , and it would be a great satisfaction 
to her to be placed in the station of an Elder.' It was then 
opened to the mind of the writer that the office was * a 
kind of reward for being good,' that ' a favored few could 
know that they were appreciated.' We confess to some 
surprise that such reflections upon a large and respectable 
portion of the church should be found in the columns of 
the JVorker ; but when we remember the indifference with 
which many talk of ' dropping Ministers and Elders,' 
nowadays, it is readily seen that the people are taught to 
regard these offices with contempt, and only of man's in- 
stitution, and subject to his whim, instead of Divine au- 
thority and appointment." 

ALL IN JESUS. 

"'Oh! well,' says one, 'don't we have all in Jesus 
anyhow, whether it is Justification or Sanctification, and 
if I have Christ, do I not have everj^thing in Him ? ' We 
answer that in Him, truly, 'are hid all the treasures of 



196 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

wisdom and knowledge,' but these can only become ours 
as they are appropriated. And this takes place only accord- 
ing to our deeply felt and conscious need. Then there 
must be the power of assiviilation in the moral nature, 
so that we may be real partakers of the divine nature. A 
man may own a farm, but his stomach may be in such a 
condition that he can neither digest, nor assimilate any 
of its principal products of corn, beef, or fruit. These 
then can never be hisy in the sense of which we speak, 
though he owns them all. Just so there are multitudes 
who can feed on Christ as manna, that cannot possibly di- 
gest the * old corn ' of the land, or ' hidden manna,' or 
Christ as our food in resurrection life, simply because 
thej^ do not have that kind of life. " 

ON THE USE OF "rev." 

"Friends' Review once more passes around Spur- 
geon's contempt for the use of 'Rev.' in connection with 
the names of Gospel ministers. But with an inconsist- 
ency that is almost universal, it has an array of the names 
of no less than a dozen of its titled contributors on its last 
page. About ten of these are Quaker preachers, having 
worldly titles of honor, such as Ph.D., M.D., LI/.D., A.M., 
and Ltt.D. And we notice that whenever such degrees 
of ho7ior are conferred, they are carefully recorded in 
Friends' journal generally. But we have never discov- 
ered that ' this invention ' flourished in the days of Paul, 
LL^.D., Apollos, I^tt.D., or the Cephos, A.M. Are these 
titles any less objectionable than it is to distinguish John 
Doe the preacher, from John Doe, the blacksmith, by 
using the prefix * Rev.' before the name of the former? 
If it is only a question of 'honors' away with the whole 



HIS VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 197 

lot, we say — but what's the use of straining out gnats in 
order to swallow camels? " 

ON DEPOSING MINISTERS. 

''^Our manner of "acknowledging" ministers, is a 
testimony to the fact that we solemnly believe that God 
has called and commissioned them to preach the Gospel. 
Our manner of deposing them in some places, is a testi- 
mony to the assumption of men to control or silence God's 
messengers at pleasure. Here are the highest preten- 
sions to spirituality in the one case, and the very least 
evidence of it in the other. 

* 'No church in Christendom makes so light a matter of 
forfeiting the ' official position ' of a minister of the Gos- 
pel as the church in Iowa. We record it with sorrow 
and shame, but Iowa caps the climax, and its severity is 
simply unparalleled. For the simple act of taking a piece 
of bread and a sip of wine on communion occasions with 
other Christians he 'thereby forfeits his official position, 
and the meeting to which he belongs shall release him 
theref/om.' There is no option, no trial, no investigation 
of motives or convictions. Notwithstanding he might 
make the most solemn asseverations of conscience toward 
God, and be the most useful and God -honored minister 
in that church, it makes no difference. This decree 
works like the automatic ax of the Tribunal. It knows 
no plea for mercy — no extenuations are allowed. King 
Herod may be ' sorry, nevertheless for the oath's sake he 
sent and beheaded John in prison.' Or, like the foolish 
vow of Jephthah, ' I have opened my mouth unto the 
lyord, and I cannot go back.' The word of the bloody 
captain of a free-booter's band must be kept sacred. 



198 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

" ' The mighty Jephthah led his warriors on 
Through Mizpeh's streets. 

... "A moment more, 
And he had reached his home, when lo ! there sprang 
One with a bounding footstep, a brow 
Of light, to meet him. . . . 
And she who was to die, the calmest one 
In Israel at that hour, stood up alone, 
And waited for the sun to set.' 

* ' In secular law there is provision made for a fair trial 
by jury of the worst criminals in the land. Thieves, rob- 
bers, and murderers are protected in their natural right 
to live, until an impartial jury shall deliberately decide it 
to be ' forfeited.' 

' ' In Africa they sentence one convicted of witchcraft 
to drink a basinful of the deadly poison, sass-wood tea. 
P'or many small stomachs this is an overdose, and is at 
once thrown up, and the life of the victim is saved. But 
this is their 07ily hope, and considered a great mercy when 
the quantity is so large as to produce this effect. No doubt 
there is a kind providence in it, and there is a similar con- 
solation concerning the sad event here discussed." 

ON SILENCE IN MEETINGS. 

"Our English critics have charged that ' our hereditary 
principles of worship and ministry have been abolished.' 
We think not. It will be agreed upon all sides that the 
ideal and ' hereditary principle of worship and ministry ' 
is * in spirit and in truth.' And we also agree that this 
is on the basis of the * silence of all flesh.' But what does 
this mean ? To our critics it means ' the quiet, meditat- 
ive meeting,' where the outward silence is but little if 
ever broken. But it is evident that this is a very super- 
ficial view of what true * silence 'is. In such outward 



HIS VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 199 

stillness there may be the most turbulent feelings, dis- 
tressing doubts, mental conflicts, and spiritual uncertain- 
ties. If so, that soul has found no true 'silence' before 
God at all, and is utterly unqualified to open his mouth 
in a public assembly, except as an inquirer, or in personal 
prayer for salvation. We insist upon it that such an one 
knows nothing of what our fathers called ' silence before 
God,' though he may have been sitting in 'silent meet- 
ings ' all his life. But the very common error is to think 
that such a ' silence can heal these wounds, ' or that it 
'opens a doorway towards the refuge from doubt,' etc. 
as says Miss Stephen. This is a great mistake. Jesus is 
the only Healer and the only Refuge, and one hour spent 
as a committed seeker after salvation, and in vocal, per- 
sonal prayer to God in Jesus' name, will do more for such 
a soul than a thousand silent meetings. This is settled 
beyond dispute, and we have seen thousands of witnesses 
who have tried both ways and can testify with David : 
' When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my 
roaring all the day long. I said I will confess my trans- 
gressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity 
of my sin. ' 

' ' We may then ask with Job, ' When He giveth quiet- 
ness, who can make trouble ? ' This is the kind of still- 
ness, and the only kiyid, in which the voice of God may 
be clearly heard, and equally well whether in much or 
little outward silence. ' The kingdom of heaven is 
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost' 
'Keep i?t perfect peace with the mind stayed on God/' 
Such is our view of the 'silence of all flesh,' and very 
many Friends in America walk in the power of this ex- 
perience, and e7iter the house of God in communion with 
Him, and are quite prepared to hear His voice. Is it any 



200 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF- 

marvel then that the Holy Spirit can immediately use a 
vessel thus prepared for the ministry of His word. Now 
this is being ' moved by the Spirit,' and is widely different 
from that chronic attitude of unreadiness that is always 
waiting to be ' moved,' but seldom or never is. It is the 
difference between a real experience of interior quiet, that 
is ready for speech or stillness, and that conventional 
silence that may be ' hereditary,' but is generally a slav- 
ish obedience to a religious sentiment." 

ON DISTINCTION BETWEEN JUSTIFICATION AND 
SANCTIFICATION. 

" While there are a few persons who confound Justifi- 
cation with Sanctification, it is generally conceded that 
they are quite distinct from each other, and not at all one 
and the same thing. True, there are points of analogy 
and some things common to both, but for us to dwell 
upon these to the exclusion of the points of contrast, is 
only to perpetuate a confusion of ideas. Both are re- 
ceived hy faith, and both are among ' the things that are 
freely give7i us of God.' And in both cases there must 
be entire submission to His will. Yet the Scriptural 
distinctions between the two are so obvious and so uni- 
versally recognized by theologians and experimental Chris- 
tians, that it would be unnecessary to dwell upon them, 
were it not for the attempt repeatedly made, to confound 
Justification with Sanctification. And while these at- 
tempts disregard the most common and Scriptural modes 
of speech, they are often successful in perplexing the 
honest inquirer. Now let us inquire what is Justifica- 
tion ? It is a law term, and strictly refers to that Divine 
act by which a sinner is absolved from the guilt and pen- 
alty of his sin. It is not the acquittal of one who is 



HIS VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 201 

proven innocent — but the pardon or forgiveness of one 
who confesses guilt. But a just and holy God cannot ex- 
ercise such clemency as this, without a divine warrant, 
and righteous ground on which to act. And this is only 
found in the cross of Christ. The justice, holiness, and 
moral glory of God's government are all maintained in 
the atoneme7it of His Son Jesus Christ, and at the same 
time ' the kindnesj and love of God our Savior toward 
man appeared.' It is in virtue of the cross that God can 
be 'just, and the justifier of him which believeth in 
Jesus.' 'Justification by faith,' then means God's for- 
giveness of the sinner that repents, confesses, and ac- 
cepts the atonement of Jesus Christ. But this includes 
regeneration^ or the new birth, that special work of the 
Holy Spirit by which we become ' partakers of the Di- 
vine nature.' This is 7iot the old nature changed, but a 
new nature implanted. 'A new creation; ' ' born of the 
spirit;' 'born from above.' It is a Christ-like, law-lov- 
ing, and obedient nature, that is possessed by this new 
life — antagonistic in all respects to his elder brother, the 
'old man' of sin, over whom we are promised victory, 
from the very start, ' if we will walk in the Spirit.^ And 
the Spirit, ' the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
Father,' is certainly given to every new born child of 
God, ' that we might receive the adoption of sons.' And 
these three things, pardon, regeneration, and adoption are 
rightly included in the New Testament idea of Justifica- 
tion by faith. And though complemental to each other, 
they are so entirely contemporaneous, that we can never 
consciously separate them. 

"1. It will thus be clearly seen that Justification is a 
thing complete in itself, and incapable of either expansion, 

decrease, or progress. 
14 



202 MEMOIR OF DAVID B UPDEGRAFF. 

"2. It has special reference to ' the remission oi sins 
that are past,' and the penalty of violated law is borne 
by another. 

" 3. Justification removes guilt and condemnation from 
the conscience, and brings in the favor of God and His 
love * shed abroad in the heart.' 

*'4. Justification precedes Sanctification as the ob- 
ject of desire and search on the part of the sinner, whose 
past sms or 'transgressions,' are his burden, and who 
cries for ' mercy ' and forgiveness. 

"5. Justification is distinct from Sanctification when 
regarded in reference to the order of the work of Christ. 
Christ is our Justification on the cross. We are ' recon- 
ciled to God by the death of His Son. ' To be sure, there 
is a vital union between Justification and Sanctification, 
and using the term with this wide meaning, every one 
that is justified, is also sanctified in a certain sense. Thiis 
term is frequently used in Scripture in a judicial sense, 
and applied both to persons and things devoted, separated 
or consecrated to the Lord or His service. But the en- 
tire Sanctification of which we speak — that for which 
Jesus prays in John 17, and Paul in Thessalonians, etc., 
has a different meaning, viz. , to make pure and holy. We 
have seen that while regenerating grace brings in a new 
life — it is not accompanied with the destruction of the 
old. And the uniform experience of Christians has been 
that * these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye 
cannot do the things that ye would.' And here is the key 
to those * sins of omission,' about which we all know so 
much. But Christ has died to make men holy, and will 
' grant unto us that we, being delivered out of the hand 
of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holi- 
ness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.' 



HIS VIEWS UPON VARIOUS TOPICS. 203 

"1. But Sanctification even when entire, or love even 
when 'perfect' is not of such a nature as to exclude prog- 
ress, or expansion, as Justification does. 

"2. Sanctification has not reference to the forgiveness 
of sins committed, but cleansing from the pollution , or the 
expulsion of inbred sin. It deals not with the past, but 
offers preservation in the preseiit. 

"3. It deals not with the guilt of sin, but expels the 
inward proneness to it, the love of it, and gives power 
over temptation through the indwelling Holy Ghost. 

"4. Sanctification is to be sought and obtained only 
by those who are walking in the light of Justification, and 
are neither cold nor backslidden in heart. Such only can 
' yield themselves to God as those that are alive from the 
dead.' A special kind of yielding, and totally different 
from the blind submission required of a sinner who may 
seek and find Justification. 

"5. Christ is our Sanctification, or this work is 
wrought and perpetuated within us by Him who ' dwells 
in our hearts by faith.' But this is resurrection life, arid 
maintained by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, 
as His ascension gift 'to them that obey Him.' Now 
' sinners ' and rebels have no part nor lot in this only ac- 
cording to Divine order. 'Enemies, ' must be * reconciled 
to God hy the death of His Son.' But * bei?ig reconciled, 
we shall be saved by His life. ' The one is the sequence 
of the other — and the only road to peace is ' through the 
blood of His cross.' It was there that our Lord Jesus did 
the work for us, that when individually appropriated 
justifies us, and puts us into such Divine relationship, as 
to bring within the compass of our faith, that other 
work of the blessed Holy Spirit within us which is 
called Entire Sanctification." 



204 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ON PASTORS AND THEIR SUPPORT. 

" This is rapidly becoming a most absorbing question. 
The lines are being drawn with a great deal of zeal. R. 
H. Thomas, M. D., has four and a half columns in a late 
' Worker ' opposing the whole plan. So also does the 
'Interchange.' The 'Review,' thinks the 'system of 
paid pastorates is radically unsuited to the Society of 
Friends, and will tend either to its rapid dissolution or to 
its entire transformation.' Its editor has also found a 
'Yearly Meeting Clerk,' who says that if we accept the 
system, ' we must give up the Society of Friends.' And 
we have found this sentiment so strongly held by some 
that they apprehend i;hat this is in fact the most deadly 
foe of all the lot that lie in wait for the destruction of our 
afflicted church. But ' the unkindest cut of all' comes 
from J. T. D. Jr., who 'smites his fellow-servants' in 
about five columns of the ' Star and Crown.' He quotes 
with perfect complacency the ' Interchange's ' denuncia- 
tions of those who 'desire the so-called ordinances, a sup- 
ported mitiistry, or a pre-arrange ment of services,' etc., 
though at the same time he is receiving the comfortable 
' support ' of $100 per month ! That seems hardly fair. 
But in such ecclesiastical discussions we cannot be too 
watchful in a single-eyed search after the truth, since the 
temptations are so great to retain the honor that comes 
from man and the church, and not that coming from God 
only. May He keep us in His love and defend the right. 



CHAPTER XX. 

VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS — ^Continued). 

BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY GHOST. MINISTRY OF WOMEN. 
THE BIBI,E, ETC. 

BAPTISM WITH THE HOI.Y GHOST. 

C cn^HIS is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, and He 
I has been present with the church ever since Pen- 
tecost, to convict, regenerate, comfort, teach, sanctify and 
anoint the sons of God. When Jesus is preached to sin- 
ners, the Holy Spirit is present to convince of sin, and if 
not resisted, to regenerate. But the birth of the Spirit is 
to be distinguished from the baptism with the Spirit which 
is promised to them that have already been converted, 
and to none others. It is to them that ' obey Him,' that 
' God hath given the Holy Ghost : To present the simple, 
plain gospel truth to the people of God concerning this 
blessed baptism, along with the glad tidings of salvation 
to the sinner, has been our high privilege, together with 
a large number of the I^ord's servants, for Jiearly a score 
of years. To find either a minister or a layman who 
could continue to resist the overwhelming proofs and 
logic of Scripture, after a fair hearing, has been rare. 
Multitudes have, however, been unwilling to pay the price 
in the needful consecration, while admitting the tinitli 
concerning the reception and sanctifying power of the 

(205J 



206 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. VPDEGRAFF. 

Holy Ghost. Many believe in the Holy Ghost that have 
never believed y^r the Holy Ghost. It is to this experience 
of being ' filled with the Spirit,' and the consequent holi- 
ness of heart and life that is wrought thereby in the in- 
most soul of the believer — it is to this induement of power 
that we owe the wonderful work of grace within our own 
church, within the past twent}^ j^ears, as well as the wide- 
spread and gracious revival of Holiness in most of the 
churches in the land. The preachers have been anointed 
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and thou- 
sands of the most intelligent and spiritual in the church 
have understood, believed and received. This work has 
not been wholly constructive, because there was much 
€xisti7ig that God had a controversy^ with, and that must 
be ' overturned.' This has brought conflict and opposi- 
tion, just as in Apostolic days, and some blemishes, no 
doubt. And there have been those all along who pre- 
ferred the death and ' apathy of previous j^ears, ' to see- 
ing the Temple tables overthrown, and having the scourge 
of small cords applied. And then there have been those 
who were opposed to our theology of a presejit and full 
salvatioji, or deliverance from all sin. And as long as 
seven years ago, we wrote concerning the reactionary 
movement of all of the opposing forces to the preaching 
of ' the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, as a definite ex- 
perience and subsequent to conversion.' As this opposi- 
tion has * sought occasion,' it has of course ' found occa- 
sion.' It did so in the case of Stephen, and he was the 
first martyr to this same spirit. ' This preaching ' of the 
good old gospel of the New Testament, and of our fathers, 
has been repeatedly said to be a ' recent invention of two 
or three persons within our own membership.' If we say 
there 7nay be more than ' one baptism, (in some sense) 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 207 

we are rebuked as heretics, and it is declared there is only 
'one.' And then if we agree that the baptism with the 
Holy Ghost is indeed but ' one' then this is denied in turn, 
and it is claiined that there are many of the same. Now, 
we have no desire for discussion in this article, but it be- 
comes our duty to expose and protest against the equivo- 
cal position of some who push their objections and nega- 
tions to the front without allowing opportunity for reply. 
Who profess to believe in true holiness, but offer nothing 
but Plymouth Brethrenism to their readers in its stead. 
Who seem to worship as truth the most glaring errors, 
over which is thrown the sanction of position and in- 
fluence. 

"Two or three papers have recently appeared, of such 
remarkable boldness, that we must at least call attention 
to them. Their author has never found in Scripture ' the 
possibility of an entire and immediate eradication of our 
inherited, sinful, and fallen nature by a momentary act 
of faith.' Nor has anybody else. Such is not the claim. 
But we suppose it is meant ' by the one baptism with the 
Holy Ghost received through faith.' That would be a 
fair and true statement of the position combatted. To 
justify his position, the case of Peter is taken. ' That 
Peter and all his associates had been greatly blessed by 
that visitation,' (?) etc., is generally admitted — cool as this 
seems for Pentecost. But ' his fallen and unsa^ictified, 
carnal nature oXviWg to him,' as he gives 'abundant evi- 
dence.' ' Eighteen years after this memorable event, we 
find Peter manifesting all the treachery and cowardly qzial- 
ities of his old carnal nature still alive within him after 
Pentecost as before, although generally held in subjec- 
tion!' etc. 'He committed the most flagrant and inex- 
cusable act of his life in that gross dissimulation' etc. 



208 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Now, some of our readers will be astonished at the bold- 
ness of one who dares to go such lengths beyond Paul, 
in his indictment of Peter. We have no apologies to 
offer for Peter, and Paul plainly says that '^he hath in- 
curred reproach.' Gal. 2: 11. His anxiety, lest he should 
lay a stumbling-block in the way of his conservative 
brethren, led him to look too much to the law of expedi- 
ency, and conscientiously, too, but it was wrong, not- 
withstanding, and the Holy Ghost has fully rebuked and 
published that wrong in Gal. 2. To go beyond the rec- 
ord, in the attempt to drag down apostolic experience to 
a level with our own, is the inevitable accompaniment of 
a low estimate of the Pentecostal baptism. To minimize 
this by calling it a * visitation^ is to contradict the prom- 
ise of the ' abiding Comforter ' in John 14 : 6, and else- 
where. But if we fail to make it appear that the apos- 
tles even after Pentecost were injuriously affected by 
their educational prejudices and frailties, we fail in sev- 
eral things that have been undertaken, and hence a great 
deal of our recent literature has been indirectly directed 
to this end. Our writer thinks there is evidence that 

* near the close ' of Peter's life * he had largely been 
changed into His likeness, from glory to glor>^' Now, 
just a few questions: 

** 1. Was Peter really baptized with the Holy Ghost at 
Pentecost ? 

"2. Was this an act * sudde?ily' performed by his as- 
cended Ivord according to His promise, in contradistinc- 
tion to a process without defniteness in its beginning or 
end? 

"3. Do we agree to Barcla^^'s definition of this 'bap- 
tism of Christ; that is, of the Spirit and of fire? ' namely, 

* Where the Spirit ot God hath purified the soul and the 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 209 

fire of His judgments hath burned up the unrighteous 
nature f ' 

"4. If we do, how is it that Peter's ' old carnal nature ' 
could both ' cling to him ' and be ' burned up ' at the same 
time? 

"5. But was Peter deceived when he testified, in Acts 
15: 8-9, that God had purified their hearts by faith, when 
He gave them the Holy Ghost ? 

"6, And even if he does commit a sin eighteen years 
after, what is the reason that it cannot be accounted for 
just as we account for Adam's sin? namely, ^y yielding 
to a temptation of the devil, notwithstanding he had a 
pure heart ? Any man may do this, and at any time, this 
side of Heaven. But such a reasonable and Scriptural 
hypothesis as this would spoil the theology so zealously 
taught in these papers, namely. That the ' Savior sancti- 
fies His people ... by His rod and priming- knifie, by his 
fan and fire and hammer,' as well as ' by His blood,' etc. 
' That by long and earnest endeavor, by continued watch- 
fulness and prayer, by habitual submission to the Lord's 
chastening and sanctifying influence, this sweet experience 
of continually abiding in Him might be realized.' {Italics 
always ours.) 

* * This method of obtaining sanctification is not only 
the doctrine of our brother, but he affirms it to be the 
doctrine of the ' fathers of our' church.' And in immedi- 
ate connection with this doctrine of sanctification through 
suffering, he gives us his own experience, and, though 
not stating that it was given to prove and illustrate the 
doctrine, that inference seems a fair one, and, indeed, 
almost irresistible. If we are to take Peter's experience 
as proving that one baptism with the Holy Ghost did 
NOT SANCTIFY him (nor yet the 'repeated baptisms and 



210 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

visitations' received during eighteen 5'ears), we are 
clearly entitled to take tlie brother's experience as at 
least intended to prove his claim that suffering does. We 
quoted from a letter addressed to ' Young and Old,' and 
' possibly for the last time : ' 

"*' ' It has pleased the Lord, as 3'ou know, after several 
years of more or less suffering from ner\'ous prostration, 
to visit me with a severe, and it is supposed mortal, dis- 
ease, which for eight months past has involved continual 
pain and uncertainty of life from week to week. 

'* 'Added to this more recently have been the results 
of a fearful fall in a moment of unconsciousness, which 
seemed to increase volj sufferings almost beyond the limit 
of human endurance. And so it would have been, dear 
Friends, but for the grace and power of our loving Lord 
and Savior, who has continually sustained me with His 
life-giving presence.' 

" We praise the Lord for this testimony to His sustain- 
ing grace, though it is not a testimom^ to ' entire sanctifi- 
cation.' Whether our brother could give such a testi- 
mony^ at this time or not, we cannot say. But we have 
examined witnesses who have been working on his line 
iox fifty years, and have never jxt found one who really 
believed that he was ' cleansed from all sin,' and that the 
' unrighteous nature was burned up.' 'According to your 
faith be it unto you.' " 

I^ETTKR TO A MINISTER IX SEARCH OF HOLINESS. 

* ' ' My Dear Friend — I am very grateful for this No. 
of The Expositor. Its valuable contents have re- 
awakened desires to know 3'ou personally. I want to see 



T. Kimber, Review. 8tli mo. 11. and 9th mo. 8th, 1887 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS.. 211 

and know you. A few friends here are crying for the 
light — for holiness, and for their sakes and ni}^ own, I do 
ask 3^ou to entertain the thought of a visit to New Orleans. 
Please write me regarding this. We have just had Rev. 
Sam Jones. Immense numbers attended his meetings and 
we hope that good was done, but the great need here is 
a consecrated and a spirit-baptized discipleship. I have 
noted your reply to a Congregational minister, which is 
commended to me by all I know of the Word, yet I am 
as one in the dark, on extremely dangerous ground. I, 
too, 'have preached beyond my experience' — what I 
wanted, rather than what I had. I cannot and dare not 
suffer this to be true longer. I hear a voice, friendly, 
that reaches me from the darkness, but I see no one, can 
touch no one — cannot go to the one who speaks. I^ike 
your correspondence, I cry, * Woe is me if I preach not.' 
Yet the experience of grace that I need and which I want, 
I have not, but rnnst have, or Christ will not be glorified 
in me, nor shall I glorify Him, ' Who shall deliver me 
from the body of this death? ^ 

"The above deeply interesting letter is from another 
Congregatio7ial minister. How perfectly ingenuous and 
Christian is the spirit of it. How intelligently described 
is the spiritual condition, and the felt need. Who can 
doubt that this dear brother has been taught of the I^ord, 
and that his * hunger ' has been created by the Holy Spirit, 
not to mock or disappoint, but that he may be ' filled with 
all the fullness of God.' Most unhesitatingly then do 
we answer your question, with the words of Paul. ' I thank 
God, through Jesus Christ, our lyOrd,' there is deliverance 
for 3^ou, brother— for you now, and Jesus is the deliverer, 
through faith. He waits your passiveness that He may 
^ baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire' — ^deld 



212 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

yourself utterly to God, and die to your opinions, and 
theology and preaching and church, that may be adverse 
to the doctrine and experience and confession of entire 
Sanctification now — Die to all of this for it is of the carnal 
mind, not of God. Die to yourself , self-will, self-seeking, 
self -hood in all its hateful forms. Die — ' Reckon your- 
self dead — indeed unto sin ' — not sinsoi certain kinds — but 
sin — as an entity — as a synonym of self. That is the best 
receipt we can give you for dissolving a hated union. Jt's 
better than divorce, or subjugation. Just die — God helps 
us wonderfully on this line. Don't be afraid of going 
down — down into the blessed will of God. It is easy to 
sink down — hard to climb up. We never get sanctified 
until we get below the earth level. No r ester rection life, 
until ' buried with Christ.' On the floor of the tomb we 
find Him, and there we leave the grave clothes of sin — 
or the old ' body of this death,' and rise with Him in a 
life hid with Christ in God.' Only pay the price and do 
it quick — then trust Jesus — God bless you ! " 

COURAGE. 

*' 'Be thou strong and very courageous,' is God's word 
to all who would serve Him, but it is especially import- 
ant to Ministers. What is more pitiful than a coward in 
the pulpit. How can God bless the work of an ambas- 
sador who is enslaved by his fear of man or of the church ? 
How can an}^ church that would intimidate its ministry 
ever expect the blessing of God ? Alas ! how few realize 
as did Paul, that to be an apostle was 'not of men, neither 
by man, but by Jesus Christ.' ' For I neither received it 
of man, neither was I taught it, but by revelation of Jesus 
Christ.'— Gal. 1. 

" Yet there are not a great many real, free men in the 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 213 

ministry. Men that dare keep an eye single to the will 
of God and His glory. And the church is willing to have 
it so. It shrinks from having things ' turned upside down,' 
as must be done when they are wrong side up. Bourda- 
loue was a preacher to the King. On one occasion, after 
depicting in vivid terms an awful sinner, he turned his 
eyes full upon King Louis, and said in thunder tones, 
' thou art the man ! ' The effect was confounding. When 
he had closed, he threw himself at the feet of the Sover- 
eign and said : ' Sire, behold at your feet one who is the 
most devoted of your servants; but punish him not, that 
in the pulpit he can own no master but the King of Kings. ' 
Contrast such courage with the cowardice of men who 
dare not preach the word as they believe it, nor ask a 
blessing at the table, nor pray with their family, nor in 
any other way invade the traditional usages of the church, 
but who do most of their praying and preaching in the 
barn among the dumb brutes, who will not try them for 
heresy nor accuse them of fanaticism! But we know just 
such men in this day of grace ! May the Lord have mercy 
upon them, and upon the ecclesiastical tyranny that crushes 
their spiritual freedom. It was the same thing that si- 
lenced the Lord Jesus at Nazareth in the midst of His 
wonderful discourse, and ' led Him to the brow of the hill, 
that they might cast Him down headlong.' " 

"Dr. Lyman Abbott has recently been installed as 
Pastor of Plymouth church, Brooklyn. There was a large 
Council of distinguished ministers present, not only of the 
Congregational Church, but of others. Notably the Rev. 
Phillips Brooks and Dr. Donald of the Episcopal church. 
Dr. Abbott made a formal statement of his * belief,' and 
questions were asked, etc. He said that he * joined the 
Presbyterian church in New York, much as I imagine a 



214 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

conscientious Roman Catholic is confirmed, in a vague 
hope that in the church I might find rest. ' Two years 
later he took his letter to Plymouth church, and sa^^s * no 
man ' except only his own father, has exerted so profound 
an ' influence on my spiritual nature, ' as Mr. Beecher. His 
declaration of faith abundantly confirms this. The state- 
ments of Dr. Abbott on doctrine were very bold and un- 
equivocal and utterly at variance with Eva7igelical truth 
on all of the vital doctrines of the Trinity, Inspiration of 
the Scriptures, the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the 
future state of the wicked. This was so palpable that 
Dr. T. B. McLeod, a noted Congregational minister and 
member of the Council, openly objected to such views, 
and asked leave to withdraw from the Council, which he 
at once did. He said : * While I had not expected Dr. 
Abbott's views would agree with mine, I was vSurprised to 
find them so far out of harmony with thefaith of the fath- 
thers and what I believed to be the general consensus of 
opinion in Congregational churches. Because I believed 
my vote for his installation would have been a practical 
indorsement of views which I regard as un-Congrega- 
tional , un-eva7igelical ajid un- Scriptural. I asked the Coun- 
cil to excuse me from further participation in its work.' 
Yet Friend's Review has constantly quoted the views of 
Lyman Abbott and given them to its readers without 
stint. It is only a little while since it endorsed hint as 
'pious, learned, evajigelical in faith, eminetitly cayidid and 
able to see the real nature of Christ' s teaching and re- 
ligio7i' And very recently it has reproduced a portion of 
one of his essays, to prove The Lord' s Supper nothing 
but a Jewish festival. Certainly this Memorial can never 
be an^^thing to a Unito.rian, and an appeal to their argu- 
ments only proves the desperation of a bad cause." 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 215 

SECTARIANISM IN MISSION WORK. 

* ' Surely it must seem marvelous to sober, thinking 
people that in this day of light any body of Christians 
could be found so infatuated with its 'distinctive views ' as 
to ' compass sea and land to make proselytes! ' It would 
be far more consistent to put upon our own little children 
the 'distinctive dress' of the olden time, and compel it 
to be worn. 

"Attention has been widely called to the 'decree of In- 
diana Yearly Meeting against the ordinances ' by one 
Ellis Lawrence, in the 'Star and Crown,' and this is 
rehearsed in the ' Review.' Said writer represents S. A. 
Purdie as saying that * we educate them out of it (that is, 
applicants desiring to be baptized), and show them the 
folly of it.' ' In fact, he said he had become conscientious 
against them'' (the ordinances). For the present we 
waive exceptions to the inaccuracy of this reported inter- 
view, for if S. A. Purdie can stand it, we can. But the 
writer has well stated the precise end sought by the 'Indi- 
ana decree.' This document may be found on page 52 
of their minutes. Let it be read. Its appeals to the 
' conscience ' (?) are very direct, and not by the round- 
about method of argument and reason at all. Ministers 
or elders who continue to participate in or practice the 
rites of baptism, or the Supper, are not to be received as 
Gospel ministers, but they are to be marked and avoided 
as deceivers ! That is the sum total of it, and men must 
see a principle very clearly before they are ready to be 
crucified outright for it. In their infatuation this Yearly 
Meeting is determined to put a stop to the Gospel lib- 
erty hitherto exercised by her missionaries in Mexico. 
Against this suicidal course we must lift up our voice. 



216 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

And, first, we prove by Joseph S. Sewell, the veteran 
Quaker missionary of the world, and now editor of the 
'London Friend,' that such action is without precedent. 
He says, in ' Friend's Missionary Advocate,' speaking of 
the work in Madagascar, that ' in the first place it must 
not be supposed that they, the members, have been brought 
to see the doctrines of the New Testament according to 
the views of Friends — no attevipt has been made to teach 
them, any distinction between Friends and other Christians. 
It has not been Quakerism versus any other ''ism,,'' but 
Christianity versus heathenism and idolatry.' 

"What is this but Christianity clothed in the garb of 
good common sense ? Secondly, we prove that such prin- 
ciples, enforced in mission fields, are inexpedient, dan- 
gerous, and hinder the work. We quote some extracts 
from a letter written by Anna G. Baker, a Friend's mis- 
sionary in Hoshangabad, India : 

" * Our great aim and object is not to make Friends but 
Christians,' etc. * Poor things, they have a great deal to 
learn and a great deal to unlearn. . The sins and failings 
Paul had to war against in the Early Christians are the 
very same we have to deal with here now. Rom. 1 is a 
sad but true description of India at the present day,' etc. 
' We require just as decided a step as baptism before ad- 
mitting them into membership. ' ' When they have been 
thoroughly convinced of the truth, the next step is to 
break caste,' etc. * That means to cut off the tuft of hair 
on top of their head,' etc. ' In other denominations break- 
ing caste and baptism go together. ' ' We have had many 
who confessed Christ and gave up all idolatrous worship, 
but stopped at that point — would 7iot break caste. ' ' We 
can never be sure of them that they will not relapse into 
idolatry,' etc. 'As regards other denominations we have 



F/EfVS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 217 

a difficulty ; in other missions they do not look upon our 
Christians as Christians at all, because they are not bap- 
tized, and if any business takes them elsewhere they have 
a good deal to put up with. Sometimes we are tempted 
(?) to wish that Friends admitted the practice,' etc., 'but 
on the other hand, there is danger of trusting to it,' etc. 
[Certainly, and an equal danger of trusting to this hair- 
cutting ceremony. — Ed.] ' But for the sake of unity, and 
presenting an undivided front to the enemies, Hinduism 
and Mahommedanism, and that other denominations might 
hold out the right hand of fellowship to our Christians, 
we sometimes wish it could be observed! ' 'Another thing 
that is rather trying is, our people sometimes move and 
settle in some other parts of India for business and other 
reasons, when we are told that the missionary there bap- 
tizes them, and, if so, returns them as his converts.' 

" This is the testimony of a Friend who is trying to be 
loyal to the traditions of her church, and argues for them 
the best she can. Yet again and again she yields to the 
truth of every principle involved, and 'sometimes wishes' 
baptism. ' could be observed' All agree that ' caste must be 
broken,* and that this thing is broken by the rite of 
Christian baptism. But if we can escape that, and pre- 
serve our testimony, shall we resort to the rite of cutting 
off the hair? What possible advantage can this latter cer- 
emony have over the former, save that it shields our eccle- 
siastical pride! Her pleas for uniformity are cogent and 
unanswerable by either reason or revelation. But we 
further quote from a letter of the Rev. James Alexander, 
a missionary in India for twenty years, confirming the 
same points already taken. He is speaking of the ' influ- 
ence exerted by the Quaker mission in India in the matter 
of baptism and a public profession. ' In India the divid- 
15 



218 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ing line between caste and a public profession of Christ is 
baptis7n and the breaking of bread at the Lord's Supper. 
A man may read the Bible and be regular at the serv- 
ices of the church, and yet remain a member of his caste. 
But the ordinance of baptism is the dividing line. Once 
that is administered caste is go7ie, and the man is an out- 
cast for Christ's sake. At Allahabad I have met Quaker 
catechists (natives) there on business. They were very 
outspoken, and went among the people telling them to 
believe on Christ, and that was sufficient. I have met 
with native Hindus in my village and Bazaar preaching 
who were ready to call us liars, because, said they, ' We 
know that there are Christians in Central India (where 
the Quaker mission is located) who say it is not necessary 
to be baptized, and why do you say it is, and thus make 
it a most difficult thing for us to profess Christianity. 
We believe in Christ, but cannot give up our caste!' Now, 
you will at once see that to publish such a belief is to 
propagate the system of caste in the church, which any 
sober man will admit is contrary to the spirit of Chris- 
tianity.' Certainly 'sober men' ought to admit it, but 
some of those ' sober men,' who stay at home and manip- 
ulate things in fields thousands of miles away, neither 
know nor understand the true principles of church exten- 
sion. There are not a few that never rise higher in their 
thoughts than a sort of ecclesiastical ' sheep-stealing,' 
both at home and abroad. How often has it been argued 
that ours was the very system for the heathen, * because 
it makes it less difficult to profess Christianity; ' while if 
that be true, it is a deadly argument against it. For 
our own part, we believe the 'decree' of Philadelphia 
Yearly Meeting against the Women's Foreign Missionary 
Association and its work in toto, and * against continuing 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 219 

this movement,' is far more consistent ground and less in- 
jurious to the cause of Christ and missions than the ' de- 
cree of Indiana Yearly Meeting.' For if we are to carry 
into the presence of heathenism, idolatry, and religious 
superstition a petty ecclesiastical warfare, we had better 
a thousand times stay away. But we need not and we 
ought not to do either. And men and women that are 
spiritual enough to be fit to go as missionaries are fit to 
be left free to follow God in their work untramelled by 

* decrees,' and ought to be encouraged so /^ do." 

MINISTRY OF WOMEN. 

*' In our last issue, a correspondent said that 'Paul, in 
conformity with Jewish custom, prohibited women speak- 
ing or teaching in the churches. ' We hardly thought it 
necessary to make answer to a fallacy so often and so 
fully exposed, but it now seems proper to do so. If it is 
true that an inspired apostle did (for any reason) really 

* prohibit women speaking ' in the churches, we hold that 
he should be obeyed, and that there is no authorit}^ or 
power in the church anywhere to repeal such a prohibi- 
tion. 

" It is a shameful thing for us to ackowledge a prohi- 
bition in the Word of God which we utterly disregard, 
and then use our disobedience as an argument to justify 
a contempt for other of its plain commands. As the ar- 
gument stands it amounts to this: In some things we dis- 
obey apostolic injunctions, therefore we may do the same 
in other things ! But let us examine the alleged prohibi- 
tion of the apostle as found in I. Cor. 17: 34, 35 — ' lyct 
your women keep silence in the churches ; for it is not 
permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in sub- 
jection, as also saith the law. And if they would learn 



220 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is 
a shame for a woman to speak in the church.' This is 
the stronghold and proof-text of the opponents of female 
ministry. Now if Paul refers in this Scripture to the 
same kind of ' speaking ' that he does in the fifth verse of 
the eleventh chapter, then he most undoubtedly contra- 
dicts himself. But that is impossible. 

"We must, therefore, harmonize these passages, and 
not do the absurd thing of insisting that on one page 
Paul has given the most explicit instructions as to how a 
thing shall be done, and on the next page of the same 
letter, to the same church, expressly forbidden that it 
should be done at all ! And this harmony can be seen 
without the least perversion or straining of Scripture the 
moment we understand that the apostle is speaking of 
two different things, and does not prohibit in the one case 
what he has at least, by the clearest implication, enjoined 
in the other. Let us examine then, in the first place, 
the true intent and nature of the ' siletice ' which is im- 
posed in chapter 14: 34. This must be explained by the 
meaning of the phrase ' not to speak. ' Now it is impor- 
tant to remember that this verb is used a multitude of 
times in the New Testament, and with a great variety of 
meanings besides the general one, of expressing thoughts, 
by words. 

" In some passages, such a meaning as ' to chatter,' ' to 
babble,' etc., is made clear when taken in connection with 
the context, which shows where the sense really lies. 
Such is the case in the passage before us. It is evident 
that its prohibition does not imply a silence that is abso- 
lute, or refraining from all speech, but only that which is 
improper, or inconsistent with a right ' obedience,' such as 
questionings and disputations that would bring women 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 221 

into public collision and controversy with men, and give 
rise to an * unamiable volubility of speech.' ' This kind 
of speaking, and this alone, as it appears to me, was for- 
bidden by the apostle in the passage before us. 

" ' This kind of speaking was the only supposable an- 
tagonist to and violation of obedience. My studies in Bib- 
lical criticism, etc., have not informed me that a woman 
must cease to speak before she can obey; and I am, there- 
fore, led to the irresistible conclusion that it is not all 
speakijig in the church which the apostle forbids and 
which he pronounces to be shameful; but on the con- 
trary, 2i pertinacious , inquisitive, domineering, dogmatical 
kind of speaking, w^hich, while it is unbecoming in a 
mayi, is shameful and odious in a woman, and especially 
when that woman is in the church, and is speaking on 
the deep things of religion.' — RobinsoJi's Lexico7i. 

" Not only so, another eminent Greek scholar (Park- 
hurst) , tells us that the Greek word here used ' is applied 
to one who lets his tongue run, but does not speak to the 
purpose, and says nothing,' and that lalein is not the word 
used in Greek to signify to speak with premeditation and 
prudence, but is the word used to signify to speak i?n- 
p7'udently ajid ivithout coiisidei'ation. This, then, is the 
character of speech that Paul ' prohibits ' in women in 
this one passage, while there are a multitude of injunc- 
tions virtually enjoining the same thing upon men. Let 
us all obey. Once more, a text often cited as referring 
to the public exercises of women in the church is I. Tim- 
2 : 11, 12 : Xet the women learn in silence with all sub- 
jection. But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp 
authority over the man, but to be in silence.' 

* ' Taken in connection with the context it is certainly 
plain enough that this passage has no bearing whatever 



222 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

upon Christian women living in the fear of God and ex- 
ercising their spiritual gifts in public. But it does refer 
to the private life, the domestic character, the apparel, the 
adornments, the spirit, and the conduct of a woman at 
home, and especially respecting her relation to her Chris- 
tian husband. It is true that she is not * to usurp au- 
thority over the man,' and this prohibition stands con- 
nected with the * teaching ' that is forbidden. The two 
must go together, and this fixes the meaning and extent 
of the prohibition; and if so, there is a great deal of ' teach- 
ing ' that is not forbidden, since it does not ' usurp author- 
ity.' 

' ' Of this sort is that ' teaching ' in the church of God 
which is by women anointed and led of the Holy Spirit, 
and who thus have ' authority ' that is God-given without 
any * usurpation ' whatever. So also is the teaching of 
her children, her servants, or her neighbors. No one 
claims that these are forbidden, and yet it is just as easy 
to establish that Paul referred to such teaching as that he 
prohibited the public ministry of women. But all diffi- 
culties are removed if we understand the apostolic inhi- 
bition as referring only to such * teaching,' whether at 
home or in public, as * ustirps authority,' and is not in 
' all subjection,' but is dominee^-ing , vociferous or dictato- 
rial, and incompatible with that * meek and quiet spirit ' 
which is woman's highest adornment, and with a true 
Christian submission one to another. 

"And as a practical fact, who is there that will claim 
that these requirements are at all violated by the noble 
women of the present day that are engaged in evangelis- 
tic and ministerial labors? To assert, then, that 'Paul 
prohibited women speaking or teaching in the churches,' 
is to propagate a delusion and a misrepresentation of script- 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 223 

ure that has robbed the church for centuries, because it 
has sealed the Hps of women when God has sought to 
open them in the loving ministrations of His house. 

" But we do more than claim Paul's exemption from 
the charge of forbidding the public ministry of women. 
We go farther and adduce I. Cor. 11 : 1-15, as positive 
evidence of his recognition and approval of such ministry. 
If we do not violate all common sense interpretation of 
scripture, we are compelled to understand Paul as recog- 
nizing both \.\iefact and the right of Christian women to 
' pray,' and to ' prophesy ' in the church. He kindly and 
clearly gives some directions concerning the proprieties 
of appearance, and the mode of performing these duties; 
and he explains the necessity of this in the nature of 
God's laws and the condition of society. 

' ' He exercises this care in order that no unnecessary 
reproach might fall upon the women because of laying 
aside the customary head dress, which always indicated 
modesty. It was an imperative custom that chaste women 
should not be seen abroad without their veils, while it was 
a fact that public prostitutes did go without them. 'And 
if a woman should appear in public without a veil, she 
would dishonor her head — her husband. And she would 
appear like to those women who have their hair shaven 
off as a punishment for adultery.' (Dr. Clarke.) So much 
for the diffizdties existing in the minds of some concerning 
this passage. But it is plain that the ' praying and proph- 
esying,' referred to by the Apostle, is for the ' edification, 
exhortation and comfort of believers,' and of precisely the 
same character in the case of women as of men; and this 
is identical with the ' prophesying ' of which Joel spoke 
when he said, * Your sons and your daughters shall 
prophesy, ' 



224 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

" When God says ' shai,!,,' who then shall say nay? 
And if the gifts had not been bestowed upon the women, 
neither Peter nor Paul would have had occasion to make 
room for their exercise. But the day of Pentecost settled 
all questions of perplexity or prejudice on this matter, and 
the whole course of the present dispensation has confirmed 
the truth that in ' Christ Jesus there is neither bond nor 
free, male nor female, but ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' 
The Spirit was then given to male and female alike, and 
Peter speaks of this as a special characteristic of the ' last 
days; ' and the writings of Paul abound in recognitions of 
* those women which labored with vie in the gospel^ with 
Clement also, and other of my fellow-laborers.' 

" In tenderest language he charges that the * beloved 
Persis, ' Tryphena, and Tryphosa, and others, be ' sa- 
luted,' and 'greeted,' and 'helped.' As for ' Phebe, a 
deaconess (or preacher) of the church at Cenchrea,' Paul 
gives her, as it were, a carte blanche to the church at Rome, 
both in respect to their love and their resources. 'Assist 
her in whatever busi?iess she hath need of j^ou, ' says the 
Apostle. Surely further proof is needless that Paul, and 
the whole Bible, for that matter, unmistakably and con- 
stantly teaches not only the right but the duty of women 
to prophesy, to teach, and to preach Jesus to the people, 
in the power of the Holy Ghost. May this be more than 
ever the day that David saw, when he said, ' The lyord 
gave the word , and great was the company of women pub- 
lishers.' For our own part, we have never been im- 
pressed, as many seem to be, with the danger of becoming 
7infeminine on account of gospel work. Our observation 
has been that as a rule, the women who labor in the gos- 
pel are of distinguished modesty, gentleness and purity of 
life, as well as yielding a right submission to the brethren. 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 225 

* * In all of these respects our sainted and queenly mother 
■was to us as a model, and there was stamped upon our 
youthful mind the loftiest ideal of feminine grace and ex- 
cellence, along with ministerial gifts of the highest order. 
For about fift^^ years Rebecca T. Updegraff preached the 
gospel of Jesus Christ, both at home and abroad, as con- 
strained by the Holy Ghost. We never knew her to open 
her mouth, either in prayer or in ministry, without evi- 
dence that the Spirit accompanied her words, and many 
seals to her labors remain to this day, although the scene 
of her toils and conflicts was in the midst of ecclesiastical 
turmoil and great spiritual barrenness in the church. But 
the tender and womanly' instincts of her nature seemed to 
be exalted rather than otherwise through the claims of 
her spiritual calling. Her private life, was adorned by 
domestic and motherly virtues. Self-sacrifice for the good 
of others was the key-note of a life devoted to the holiest 
ministries of love and the glory of God. 

" Whenever we hear an imputation concerning the min- 
istry of women, we instantly recall the memories and 
sweetness of our mother's life, and, in this instance, have 
yielded to the impulse to thus open an inner sanctuary to 
our readers. We are sure they will forgive us. The 
daughters of the Lord, upon whom He has poured out 
the spirit of prophesy, both in the present and in past 
days, have done their full share in extending the King- 
dom of Christ. They are doing it yet, and their zealous 
labors for souls are abundantly owned of God. We re- 
member with gratitude the names of a host of such, who 
have gone to their reward; and we would like to record 
the names of another multitude of holy women who are 
in the field and at the front to-day, with a Divine com- 
mission to rescue the perishing and edify the church. 



226 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Many of them we enjoy the privilege of knowing per- 
sonally and in gospel fellowship. We are glad to testify 
that almost without exception the talents, piety and power 
of these elect ladies challenge our sympathy and admira- 
tion. We want to cheer them on and encourage every 
heart. Would to God all the Lord's people were such as 
are these prophetesses ! " 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE " SAVED? " 

** 'Saved' is a word that may be used and properly ap- 
plied in a great variety of cases, when accompanied with 
a qualifjdng clause that makes our meaning clear. As 
* saved ' from drowning, * saved ' from bankruptcy, ' saved ' 
from the fire. But when a preacher in his pulpit talks 
of ' saving men,' he is to be understood as speaking of 
the salvation of their souls. It is, however, somewhat 
amazing to witness the flippancy and ignorance with 
which this sacred term is often applied to a most thor- 
oughly human and superficial work.. Let us take a few 
examples: A minister draws a word-picture of ' a young 
man that has got into bad company and offended the law 
and is arraigned. His father is dead, mother is dead, and 
he has no counsel. But the District Attorney takes him 
into his office and says, " My son, I see that you are the 
victim of circumstances. This is your first crime. You 
are sorry. You will apologize to the first man you have 
wronged, and make all the reparation you can, and I will 
give you another chance. It would make his dying pil- 
low sweeter to have the consciousness that he had saved 
a man.'' Again, a young merchant is assisted out of a 
commercial disaster by a benevolent man of means, and 
after a few years of financial prosperity in a splendid 
business he goes back to his old benefactor and says, ' I 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 227 

ought to let you know that you ''saved a man.'" ' And the 
angels are represented as welcoming the old man into 
heaven — that saved a man. Once more : A poor woman 
in search of employment, and after repeated rebufifs, is 
spoken to kindly and encouragingly by a good man. 
Hope and confidence spring up so manifestly that that 
gentleman is taught to believe that he saved a woman. 
And this is the kind of salvatio7i that is being preached 
to thousands every Sabbath. These outlines are filled in 
with the pathetic details of every-day life, until human 
sympathies are all aglow, and such philanthropy is made 
to outshine the sufferings and death of Jesus, and a 
benevolent succor from temporal distress is made far 
more attractive than God's salvation for the soul. For 
this involves the pungency of conviction, true repentance 
and godly sorrow for sin, and its renunciation, whereas 
the other involves nothing of the sort, but is a kind of 
' salvation ' (?) that is compatible with a growth in pride, 
a life of rebellion against God, and a bed in hell. We can 
but cry aloud against such a travesty of preaching, and 
trifling with the word of God, as many * great preachers ' 
seem driven to, in order to maintain their hold on the 
crowd whose chief concern is for eijtertainment. ' * 

THE BIBI^E. 

" Biblical study, from various stand-points, is the ab- 
sorbing theme of our day. There never was a time 
when the Bible was studied by so many devout believers; 
or by so many philosophical rationalists; or scientific ag- 
nostics; or scoffing infidels; or accomplished scholars, and 
literary men. It is simply phenomenal. What does it 
all mean .? It is plain that the old time controversies of 
a sectarian character have no place in this age. But ' now- 



228 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

adays men are examining all the wings and legs of every 
living thing, and questioning everything' as Prof. Harris 
has truly said. To this wide-spread infidel spirit, we 
suppose he alludes when he speaks of ' the inevitable 
movement of our time.' Dr. Briggs saj^s that the Higher 
Criticism is ' the most inviting and fruitful field of study 
in our day.' Many are asking, 'What is meant by the 
phrase Higher Criticism ? ' It is generally understood 
to apply to a method of investigating the Bible just the 
same as any other book. That is, it takes nothing for 
granted. It ignores the testimony of the Bible concern- 
ing itself. Its claims of inspiration, authenticity, and in- 
fallibility^ are allowed only so far as established by the 
scientific, linguistic, and historical scholarship of men, 
mainly destitute of any spiritual intuitions whatever. Its 
first effect, therefore, is to disparage and discredit the 
Bible, in the eyes of every one who yields respect to those 
who put its character on trial. The conwion people of 
Christendom regard the Bible as the Word of God, writ- 
ten by holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost, and rightfully resent any assumption of a possi- 
ble mistake about its plenar^^ and verbal inspiration. But 
this is sneered at as ' blind bibliolatrj^' by a host of men, 
some of whom are not higher critics, but who wish to be 
understood as scholars. 

"These modern philanthropists set themselves about 
the work of rescuing Protestantism from its ' well-known 
vice of bibliolatry ! ' They are generally Rationalists, 
who have no personal God and no use for any revelation 
from Him whatever, and scoff at the Bible as His word. 
And yet they want to get on a jury, to whom this sacred 
volume is to be handed over for trial by their tests of 
* science, falsely so called.' They propose to reconcile 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS. 229 

the teachings of the Bible, the church, and the reason, and 
make them of coordinate authority. ' There are three 
theories of inspiration; the verbal, the plenary, and the 
dynamic' (?) The first is ridiculed because it makes 
the sacred writers ' mere clerks of the Holy Ghost ! ' ' The 
last two are reasonable ! ' But not all of the Higher 
Critics are rationalists. There are a number of what are 
called evangelical scholars, that, in the absence of any- 
thing better to do, are accepting the challenge to enter 
this ' inviting field of study.' They ' yield ' to no one in 
reverence for the Bible. And yet they say ' every word, 
every syllable, every letter receives reverent and careful 
handling ! ' They hold the Bible as * an infallible rule of 
faith and duty,* and yet, some of its historical books 
' may be untrustworthy as history! ' And this sort of 
rhetorical jugglery is getting to be very common. They 
say that rationalists are * using this higher criticism with 
disastrous effect and the church is challenged to meet the 
issue.' They are big with expectations of 'conquering 
by a more profound and critical interpretation,' etc. 
That ' Providence is calling the church to this conflict,' 
and many other things that sound very plausible. But 
we do not believe one word of it. Jesus Christ has better 
business for every one of His real followers, than to de- 
bate with an infidel crew that denies His very existence, 
and that of His word. It can never result in ' conquer- 
ing * them, and is fraught with peril to the vain cham- 
pion who must fight such a battle at his own charge. No 
man shall ever * know of the doctrine ' except on the un- 
changeable terms of our Lord, viz., consenting to 'do 
His will' All the learning, argument, and critical acu- 
men of scholars, can never win the battle against the 
moral repugnance of the carnal mind to follow where the 



230 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

truth leads. This can only be accomplished by the Om- 
nipotent Holy Ghost, who uses ' the Word of God ' as His 
weapon, in the mouths of witnesses, not gladiators. A 
scholar only filled with ' Greek ' is as powerless in such a 
conflict, as one filled with husks. It is simply ' Greek 
meeting Greek.' It is the old story of 'Saul's armor.' 
All of God s battles are conflicts oi faith, and can never 
be won with the weapons of the world. ' Our weapons 
are not carnal. ' The great mistake is in supposing that 
we are called to defejid the Bible J God will attend to 
that. He has not asked us to be either advocates or apol- 
ogists, but His 'witnesses.^ A joyful, experimental Chris- 
tian is the best evidence in the world, that the Bible is 
all that it claims to be. One such * witness,' however ig- 
norant he may be, is worth more to silence the batteries 
of the 'Higher Criticism,' than a whole platoon of schol- 
ars that believe that the Bible contains the truth, but have 
'not believed the truth that the Bible contains. As for the 
Bible itself, we have no concern. It is not one book 
among many; it is The Book, God's own book, and it will 
stand as impregnable as Gibraltar, as it always has stood 
against the fires of criticism, the assaults of infidels, and 
the malice of devils. But our anxiety is for those who 
are being caught with the prevalent delusion, concerning 
the necessity of a critical ' systematic study of the Bible 
in order to be prepared for its defence. ' 

*'l. Admitting the position to be correct, its defenders 
must then of necessity be too small a number to count 
for much. 

" 2. But the Bible needs no defense, and asks none at 
our hands. Peter thought that the lyord needed his puny 
arm for 'defense,' instead of which Jesus was defending 
him. ' Let these go their way.' 



VIEWS ON VARIOUS TOPICS 231 

** 3. If in some legitimate sense ' the faith ' is to be de- 
fended, the soldier that is successful must fall in with the 
divine method of warfare, and use the weapons of faith 
only. And Greek roots are not in the catalogue ! 

' *4. The Bible is to be as food for our spirits, and not 
for our curiosity. Its material is for our ' instruction in 
righteousness,' and not for the display of hair-splitting 
acumen, or linguistic scholarship. 

" It is therefore a matter of painful concern that the 
flower of our youth, and the church at large, should be 
so constantly taught to look in the wrong direction, for 
a preparation to * meet the inevitable movement of our 
time.' To tell them to 'hunger and thirst after Greek,' 
is as deceptive as to direct them to seek the North star 
by gazing into the Southern heavens. To be * filled 
with righteousness,' is a prescription that will come short 
in no emergency. But provide professorships at Haver- 
ford, Bryn Mawr, Penn College, or elsewhere for a 'crit- 
ICA.I,' study of the Bible, on the suggested model of Prof. 
Harper, of Yale, and they are dangerously liable to fol- 
low in the steps of his subtle infidelity, and to raise more 
questions than will ever be answered. We are utterly 
"opposed to the assumption that this kind of thing is at 
all needed, in order that the devout student of the Bible 
may understand what God has really spoken. We be- 
lieve that its general tendency is to obscure spiritual 
truth, instead of to unfold it. We subscribe to the fol- 
lowing confession of Daniel Webster : ' I believe that the 
Bible is to be understood and received in the plain and ob- 
vious meaning of its passages, since I cannot persuade 
myself that a book intended for the instruction and con- 
version of the whole world should cover its true meaning 
in such mystery and doubt that nojie but critics and phi- 



232 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

losophers can discover it. I believe that the experiments 
and subtleties of hu7nan wisdom are more likely to obscure 
thaji to enlighten the revealed will of God, and that he is 
the most accomplished Christian scholar, who hath been 
educated at the feet of Jesus, and in the College of Fisher- 
men ! ' And also to this from Martin Luther's reply to 
a question by Spalatin : 

'"It is very certain that we caiinot attain to the under- 
standing of Scripture, by study or by the intellect. Your 
first duty is to begin by prayer. Entreat the Lord to 
grant you, of His great mercy, the true understanding of 
His word. There is no other interpreter of the word of 
God, than the Author of His word, as He Himself has 
said. They shall be all taught of God. Hope for noth- 
ing from your own labors, from your own understanding. 
Trust solely in God and in the influence of His Spirit.'" 



CHAPTER XXI. 



THK PAROUSIA. 



"Abide in Him ; that, when He shall appear, ye may have con- 
fidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."'- 
I. John 2 : 28. 

THB effort to make people believe that the promised 
parousia (coming) of the Lord took place at the 
"destruction of Jerusalem," tends to mislead souls, blot 
out the Christian's hope, and destroy the value of Script- 
ure as a definite testimony to anything. With a little 
critical help from Young's " Concordance" we shall try 
to establish the following four points : 

First. That the promised parousia (coming) of our 
Lord did not take place "in," "at," or " after " the cap- 
ture of Jerusalem by Titus, as is often asserted. 

Second. That the spiritual coming promised in our 
Lord's discourses recorded in John 13 : 16, did find ful- 
fillment on the day of Pentecost, when "they were all 
filled with the Holy Ghost." 

Third. That this was not the parousia, and that pa- 
rousia is always used to denote a personal and bodily 
"presence," and never that which is only spiritual. 

Fourth. That His parousia is unquestionably pre- 
sented as a future and not as a past event. 

1. In Matt. 24, among other questions, the disciples 
IG i233; 



234 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

asked Jesus this one : *' What shall be the sign of thy 
parousiaf To which our Lord gave a most explicit 
answer. He saj^s it shall be like "the lightning coming 
out of the east and shining even unto the west." Here 
suddenness, omnipotence, and fearful visibility are set 
forth. He says : ' ' The sun shall be darkened, and the 
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall 
from heaven," that " all the tribes of the earth shall 
mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the 
clouds of heaven with power and great glory." "And he 
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 
and they shall gather together his elect from the four 
winds, from one end of heaven to the other." "As the 
days of Noe were, so shall also the parousia of the Son 
of man be." And three times in the course of this mi- 
nute description does He declare, " So shall the paro7isia 
of the Son of man be." Now, how many of these things 
took place " at the destruction of Jerusalem? " Was the 
sun blotted out? Did the stars fall? Did all the tribes 
mourn, when only two tribes were in the land? Did they 
see the Son of man in the clouds of heaven or hear His 
angel's trumpet? Were the e/eci gathered from the four 
winds? Or are all of these things to be spiritualized 
away ? 

When our Lord says, in John 14 : 13, "I will not leave 
you comfortless : I will come to you," He does not speak 
of His paroiisia, or bodily coming, but uses erchomai, "to 
come," and speaks simply of His presence and coming 
without any qualification. The same is true of the 
twenty-third verse, **And we will come unto him and 
make our abode with him." Of the twenty-eighth verse, 
**I go away and come again unto you." Of chapter 
15: 26, " When the Comforter is come, whom I will 



THE PAROUSIA. 235 

send." Of 16: 18, "When He is come He will reprove 
the world." Of 21: 22, "If I will that He tarry till I 
come," etc. Now, it does no violence to Scripture lan- 
guage to construe these promises as being fulfilled by 
His spiritual coming and presence in the church at Pen- 
tecost, and as still standing good for a personal Pentecost 
to any man who loves Jesus and "will keep His words." 

3. But when the woyA parousia is used, it does not de- 
note a coming that is spiritual only, but is always used to 
denote a bodily and personal " presence." A few exam- 
ples will suffice. "I am glad of the parousia of Ste- 
phanus" (I. Cor. 16: 17). "God comforted us by the 
parousia of Titus " (II. Cor. 7:6). "By my parousia to 
you again" (Phil. 1: 16). "Not as in my parousia only" 
(Phil. 2: 12). We select these quotations because it is 
impossible that the parousia of Stephanus, or Titus, or 
Paul can be otherwise than a bodily and personal * * pres- 
ence," and it therefore must have the same force and 
meaning when used in reference to the Lord Jesus by the 
discriminating pen of inspiration. 

4. Finally, how is it possible that either Pentecost or 
"the destruction of Jerusalem " could have been the pa- 
rousia, when it is invariably presented in Scripture as a 
still future thing ? ' ' Christ the first fruits ; afterward 
they that are Christ's at His parousia " (I. Cor. 15 : 23). 
"Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus 
Christ at His parousia f " (I. Thess. 2 : 19). "The pa- 
rousia of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" 
(I. Thess. 3: 13). "We which are alive and remain 
unto the parousia of the Lord " (I. Thes. 4 : 13). " Your 
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless 
unto the parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ " (I. Thess. 
5 : 23). "Whom the Lord shall (future) destroy with the 



236 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAPP', 

epiphaneia (manifestation) of His paro7isia'' (II. Thess. 
2:8). " There shall come in the last days scoffers, say- 
ing, Where is the promise of His parousia f " (II. Peter 
3.4). "Abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we 
may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at 
His parousia " (I. John 2 : 28). In the light of such 
Scriptures how can anyone, who really regards its plain 
letter, believe that our Lord's coming has already oc- 
curred, or that parousia signifies only a spiritual pres- 
ence? But some seek to avoid the force of John's 
remarkable passages in Revelation, which declare the 
parousia to be a " future event," by assigning a date for 
the Apocalypse prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, or 
about A. D. 70. Granting this for a moment, we are 
still confronted with John's testimony in his " First Epis- 
tle, A. D. 108" (chapter 2: 28): ''Abide in Him; that, 
when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not 
be ashamed before Him at TLis par oicsia.'' But we are 
not to be deprived of John's testimony in the Apocalypse 
to the same fact : ''Behold, He cometh with clouds; and 
every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced 
Him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of 
Him" (Rev. 1:7). "And behold, I come quickly; and 
my reward is with me, to give every man as his work 
shall be." " Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, 
come, lyord Jesus " (Rev. 22 : 12, 20). These words cer- 
tainly were never penned with any reference to the ' * de- 
struction of Jerusalem," nor even before that event, but 
long after it. 

Some writers seem to have been persuaded by ' ' mod- 
ern criticism," and the necessities of their cause, to de- 
part from the traditional hypothesis that the true date of 



THE PAROUSIA. 237 

the Apocalypse is A. D. 96. In doing so, they have 
transferred it to " about A. D. 70." Against this hypoth- 
esis, as it is sought to be made a matter of prime impor- 
tance, Ve shall cite some undisputed authorities. Ire- 
nseus says : ' ' The Apocalypse was beheld not long ago, 
but in the time of our own generation (our own day) 
toward the end of Domitian's r^ign " (A. D. 96). (Vol. 
V. (?) chap. XXX.). " Eusebius and Jerome give similar 
testimony." And Dean Alford shows that the so-called 
Fathers "declare with perfect unanimity that John was 
banished A. D. 96 by Domitian to Patmos and there 
wrote the Apocalypse." He further says, " I have no hes- 
itation in believing with the ancient Fathers and most 
competent witnesses that the Apocalypse was written 
toward the close of Domitian's reign, that is, about the 
years 95 or 96 A. D." And such testimony can be con- 
firmed by reasoning which we think ought to be conclu- 
sive. For example, Hengstenberg shows in detail that 
the contents of the Apocalypse correspond to the time of 
Domitian, and the history of that time; and amply sup- 
port his positions. Banishment was certainly a form of 
imperial violence never exercised by Nero. Secular his- 
tory hardly exaggerates when it declares that "at the last 
he killed everybody that attracted his attention." With 
Domitian, however, it was different, since he banished a 
number of philosophers and prominent men, including 
Epictetus. Banishment was thus employed by him, along 
with other common measures. And though he executed 
Christians, there are instances of their banishment, of 
which John certainly was one. And from his prison 
home in Patmos, he wrote " in a book ' ' the things which 
he saw, " and the things which are," '* and the things 



238 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

which shall be after these," and sent it unto the 
churches. " He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the churches." 

lyong years ago, J. J. Gurney exposed this same " con- 
ventional misrepresentation of Scriptures," that we have 
been considering. But there never was a day when his 
solemn warning was more needful than the present. He 
exhorts that nothing be allowed to ' ' divert us from a firm, 
believing expectation of that momentous day when Christ 
shall come again invisible glory, with all His holy angels, 
to raise the dead, to make manifest the secret of all hearts, 
to judge righteous judgment, to consign the wicked to 
their appointed punishment, and forever to consummate 
the glory and happiness of His own followers." 

And to treat the Scriptures as an ordinary volume of 
good advice , and to explain away all the force of Biblical 
authority, is to lull souls into a slumber, only to be broken 
by the startling summons of the appalling blast of the 
archangel's trumpet, and the voice of God. Even now, 
there peals forth the solemn cry, that waxes louder and 
louder, " Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to 
meet him ! " 



CHAPTER XXII. 

CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 
[Rewritten from the Forum for April.] 

C £ 2 S in Nehemiah's time, so the work of the church 
Cn in this our day is largely one of ' rebuilding the 
walls.' But there is very much rubbish that must first be 
gotten out of the way. If we would reach the foundation- 
stones of Christ and the Apostles, we must dig down 
through ecclesiasticism, conventionalism, and traditions — 
heaps upon ' heaps of rubbish.' 

" And this means toil, patience, self-denial and courage. 
Not a love of ease and popularity, and a comfortable hope 
of getting quietly off to heaven, but the true militant 
spirit that will ' follow the lamb whithersoever he goeth.' 
As a divine ideal, the Church of God is perfect, ' a new 
lump and unleavened.' Yet in its actual, visible, and 
militant condition it is of a mixed character. There is 
the ' old leaven ' to purge out, the * old man ' to put off, 
and ' false doctrine ' to put away, and God's trumpet call 
to His Church is, ' be zealous therefore and repent. His 
tenderness is but the forerunner of His faithfulness, in 
the warning, ' as many as I love I rebuke and chasten.' 
* Remember, therefore, from whence thou hast fallen, and 
repent and do the first works.' But such a task is neither 
welcome nor pleasant, and many are the devices, in order 

(239) 



240 MEMOIR OF DAVID B.UPDEGRAFF. 

to evade it. It is far easier to compare ourselves with 
ourselves, and salve over ' the hurt of the daughter of my 
people.' It is easy, too, to get an opiate by misapplying 
Solomon, * Say not thou what is the cause that the former 
days were better than these ! ' But we have read history 
to little purpose if we fail to note the alternations of prog- 
ress and regress, of revival and decline, that have charac- 
terized the church in all ages; and that every genuine re- 
vival of religion has begun with an exhortation to ' stand 
in the ways and ask for the old paths.' God's demand 
has been nothing short of a full return to the standard 
set up by Himself, whether in the Old Testament or in the 
New. 

"In the days of the kings, under the old covenant, 
such restorations had in view chiefly the discharge of re- 
ligious duties. In the after reformation of Luther and 
others, the primary work was the rescue of Christian doc- 
trine from the corruptions of Romanism. In the still later 
religious awakening of the seventeenth century, the cen- 
tral idea was not so much works, or doctrine, as experi- 
ence — Christian experience and its fruits. This was pre- 
eminently true of the ' Friends,' who took their rise about 
1650. The attitude toward the state church is thus au- 
thoritatively set forth by William Penn : 

" * Setting aside some school terms, we hold the sub- 
stance of those doctrines believed by the Church of Eng- 
land as to God, Christ, Spirit, Scripture, etc. But that 
wherein we differ most is about worship and conversion, 
and the inward qualification of the soul by the work of 
God's spirit thereon, in pursuance of these good and gen- 
erally received doctrines. ' 

"And again, ' The bent and stress of their ministry was 
conyersion to God ; regeneraiio?i and holiness. Not schemes 



CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 241 

of doctrines and verbal creeds or new forms of worships etc' 
' Our business^ after all the ill usages we have met with, 
being the realities of religion ' — [Penn's Key.] Such is 
indeed, the key to an explanation of the phenomenal in- 
crease and sudden rise of our denomination. 

* ' Such distinctive facts in experience, were illustrated 
by a degree of real Christian vitality, zeal and energy in 
the early daj^s of the church, that stands in remarkable 
contrast with its later history; for though other denom- 
inations have insensibly come into substantial accord with 
these principles, the church, which was the most zealous 
in asserting them, has itself been in decline. An inquiry 
into the causes underlying such declension must possess 
an interest to all who to-day hold dear the privileges of 
religious liberty. For it is not too much to say that the 
early Quaker church pioneered the experiment of inde- 
pendent church organization, and that, in the struggle 
for civil and religious liberty, it did much to win for Eng- 
lishmen the right to worship God according to their con- 
scientious convictions. About thirty years ago an Eng- 
lish gentleman (not a Friend, we think,) offered a prize 
of two hundred guineas for the best two essays upon the 
question, * Why has the powerful witness at one time borne 
to the world by the Society of Friends been gradually be- 
coming more and more feeble? ' The same question has 
engaged the attention of candid members of the Friends, 
as well as other denominations, for generations. 

" We are quite accustomed to weeping Jeremiades over 
an admitted decline, but its cause has mostly been sought 
in external and secondary matters — rather than from an 
internal and foundational standpoint. Of course, much 
that has been said is both just and true, yet the question 
ever recurs; and we are bound to confess that in our past 



242 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

investigations, rather than go down into the serious bus- 
iness of humble confession, we rise again to resolve that, 
after all, there is no change to be desired, ' either as to 
our usages or principles,' and that our only lack is * more 
zeal and earnestness.' Comparing ourselves with others 
is quite sure to result in the vain but comforting assur- 
ance of our own superiority. If, however, a true answer 
can be discovered and fairly acknowledged, at any cost, 
with an honest purpose to apply the remedy, we are san- 
guine of a blessed future for the church. And it is with 
such a hope that this examination has been entered upon. 
A glance at a few important points will perhaps sufficiently 
account for the remarkable growth of the early Quaker 
church. 

"I. And, first, we must of course note the peculiar 
conditions produced by both the civil and religious move- 
ments of that age. Bishop Hall describes ' the woeful ' 
havoc that the hellish fury of war hath made everywhere 
in this flourishing and populous island — the flames of 
hostile fury rising up in our own towns and cities, the de- 
vastation of our fruitful and pleasant villages,' etc. And 
equally sad was the state of religion. Formal, outward, 
and worldly, it did but mock those whose hearts hungered 
for spiritual realities. In their indifference to this, the 
great parties of Puritan and Papist were engaged in un- 
holy rivalry for an alliance with the state. But sects 
without number were springing up from one end of Eng- 
land to the other. Bach of these schisms had its own pe- 
culiar tenets or principles. And while they all differed 
in some respects, they were all agreed in an enthusiastic 
expectation of a * godly, thorough reformation,' and the 
trend was toward pietism. But, so far, all had failed to 
satisfy the demands of the age. At such a moment, as 



CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 243 

Spurgeon says, 'God sent into the world George Fox.' 
He and his compeers discerned, with remarkable clear- 
ness, both the needs and the spirit of their time. And, 
inasmuch as they had come to an experimental knowl- 
edge of Christ enlightening and saving their own souls, 
they recommended a like experience to others, as a solu- 
tion of the problems that troubled them; they then sought 
to unify and incorporate into a worshiping bod}^ those thus 
brought out of darkness into light. They exhibited the 
logical outworking of the very theories already dimly seen 
by multitudes. Of course, their success was remarkable, 
and the result was that the ' Friends' Church ' became the 
sect of that age. 

"II. In most pronounced and unmistakable terms they 
claimed to be the restored Church of Christ. Indeed, there 
can be no doubt but that some extravagant claims were 
made to that effect. But they were honest and earnest 
in the attempt to reform the corrupt church, and could 
consistently take no lower or narrower ground. And yet 
they evidently had no thought of erecting a new church; 
in fact, they disclaimed any such intention. But they did 
claim to be the very ark of salvation for the people, and a 
holy church. And they afforded to that age just such 
signs as it demanded, to establish this claim. 

"III. A 'personal experience' of the salvation they 
preached, was, of course, the primodial and fundamental 
fact as related to all other facts of importance connected 
with our subject. The early preachers, as Fox, Howgill, 
Bur rough, Naylor, have left on record plain and authentic 
evidence of this. They were witnesses unto a personal 
Christ, who had not only died for them, but lived to save 
them, and did save ' to the uttermost.' They witnessed 
to an experience in which the Holy Ghost really acted 



244 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

upon their wills and faculties, energizing them to speak 
and work. The very name of * Friend,' implied their 
perfect readiness to be thus led into paths either new or 
old. The names of sects, as ' Presbyterians,' 'Congrega- 
tionalists,' 'Methodists,' etc., generally designate some 
special church polity, or method of organization or gov- 
ernment. Not so ' Friends ' a term having no reference 
to usuages of any description, but indicating nearness to 
Christ, and confessing to a covenant to ' do whatsoever I 
command you,' or to be bound, in all things, by His exam- 
ple and precepts. Now, this name, with all that it in- 
volves, was acknowledged and chosen by the denomina- 
tion itself. And in this simple fact is to be found the 
real raison d^ ctre of our separate existence as a people. 
And all attempts to ground it upon some peculiarities of 
usage or non-usage, do violence to the truth, and insult 
the memory of the fathers. 

"IV. The Bib^e was their creed, theology, and disci- 
pline. They constantly decried all other credal tests, and 
defended every tenet by direct appeal to the Bible. ' For 
thanks be to God,' says William Penn, * that only is our 
creed, and with good reason ; since it is fit that only 
should be the creed of Christians, which the Holy Ghost 
could only propose, and require us to believe.' Robert 
Barclay affirms that they professed ' doctrines and prin- 
ciples of truth as they were delivered by the Apostles of 
Christ in the Holy Scriptures.' And Edward Burrough 
distinctly defines the object of their existence as a sect, to 
be the restoration of primitive and scriptural Christianity, 
in doctrine, discipline, and practice. A ' discipline ' formed 
no part of the original compact. There appears to have 
been no outward or written rules at all until about 1670, 
and very few indeed, until near 1700. And when George 



CONF£SSWNS OP A QUAKEk, 24^ 

Fox had to deal with schismatics he simply appealed to 
the Scriptures, which, he said, * prescribe how men should 
walk, both toward God and man.' They relied upon the 
indwelling and presiding Spirit, as the bond of church 
unity. As spiritual worshipers, the Friends were freed 
from the slavery of forms, and at liberty to follow the 
leadings of the Spirit. With reliance upon Him as the 
Maker of all forms, they needed little pre-arrangement for 
worship. He could animate and bless that which was 
both new and old, and they were ready for either. They 
had no respect whatever for mere tradition, and had com- 
pletely broken with the past. And when they called 
men away from ' man-made creeds to the Church of the 
living God,' they meant it. They called them not to their 
creed, nor to themselves, nor to their ancestors, but to 
Christ himself. 

"V. Again, incessant and \Sx^^sswork characterized 
this early church. Kasy-chair piety had no place with 
them. They well knew that without Christ they could 
do nothing; but instead of sitting still from year's end to 
year's end, declaring their helplessness, they illustrated 
complemental truth, * 1 can do all things through Christ, 
which strengtheneth me.' They really believed they 
were co-workers with God, and gave good evidence that 
this was not an illusion. 

' ' Religion was the whole business of the Quakers then. 
Nothing less than diligent efforts for the salvation of the 
race could at all consist with their high claims to spirit- 
uality, and they felt it. To this work all temporal en- 
gagements must give place. Men of every trade gave up 
their occupations in order to make spiritual conquests. It 
was expected of those who joined the church that they 
should become missionaries, and nearly every one did 



246 . MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

go to preaching. And their ministry was aggressive — 
* fiercely aggressive, ' we are told. To become a Quaker 
then was almost synonymous with becoming a preacher, 
and involved the necessity of defending the truth em- 
braced. Itinerant and lay preaching was just suited to 
the people and the times. Thus the most effective agency 
for religious work almost ever known was developed and 
utilized by this church. The sum of it all is, that in the 
days of George Fox ' they sought God, and as long as 
they sought the Lord, God made them prosper, ' so that 
in England alone there were more Friends then than in 
all Christendom now; and, perhaps, we may understand 
why this is so if we briefly compare the modern with the 
early Quaker church, in respect to they^z;^ points already 
noticed. 

"I. The peculiar and providential tendency of our age 
is toward catholicity^ and tmion, not sectarianism. Chris- 
tian associations, congresses, and alliances all over the 
world proclaim an earnest desire and endeavor for the 
oneness of Christians. It is true that these efforts have 
been ineffectual and wide of the mark, in so far as either 
good doing or good thinking has been exalted as the true 
ground of unity. It will never be found in what men 
do, or think, but in what they really are. The denomi- 
nation which is most successful in making men what they 
ought to be, must be quick to utilize and to give right di- 
rection to the providential issues furnished in their day. 
But the catholicity of mind needful for this looks danger- 
ous to the sect, and there is great alarm lest our identity 
be lost; and to preserv^e this is still the supreme thought 
with most. And though, outside of denominational lines, 
the spirit of bigotr}'- and intolerance hides its head for 
very shame, yet inside these lines it scniples not to enact 



CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 247 

most uncatholic and intolerent legislation against true 
Christian liberty — though lenient as to real heresy. And 
the 'mantle of charity,' kept for public occasions, hangs 
with ludicrous looseness on the shoulders of narrow lit- 
tle men. And it must be confessed that many Friends of 
to-day engage in a positive resistance to the God-given 
opportunities of the hour, and persist in the path of self- 
destruction. 

"II. There came a time when the high responsibili- 
ties and claims involved in the idea of the ' church ' were 
made to yield before the lower ones involved in the idea 
of the 'society.'' This was a virtual abandonment of the 
original ground, for while Christ builds the church, man 
founds and organizes the society. No mere society can 
rise higher than devotion to itself, and to the honor of 
its human founders. It must, therefore, contain in itself 
the sentence of decay and death. There can possibly be 
but one organization or union of persons on earth not 
subject to this law, and that is the true Church of Jesus 
Christ, wherever it may exist. It is builded together for 
a habitation of God through the Spirit, and it has His 
promise, ' Lo, I am with you always,' and no other organ- 
ization ever had such a promise. It is difficult to say 
just when the claim of the fathers was relinquished and 
even contradicted by their sons, but symptoms of transi- 
tion from the church to the society appear before 1700. 
About that time the traditional spirit became dominant, 
though the fact was lamented and rebuked by Fox and 
others. Then the experimental witnesses to the presence 
and power of Christ were succeeded by many who could 
only witness to the usages and spirituality of their fore- 
fathers. Aggressiveness ceased, and so did persecution. 
Increase of membership ceased, and the decrease was 



248 MEMOIR OP DAVID B. VPMGRAPP. 

alarming. Birthright membership and lay eldership were 
soon introduced. The ministy declined, and such as re- 
mained seems to have been devoted to the interests of the 
society. Its energies were employed in efforts for self- 
preser\^ation, and to settle internal controversies. Dr. 
Pressense speaks to the point when he says that a church, 
' whose only care is for itself and its privileges is not a 
church, for it resembles its Head in nothing but in name, 
and it bears His name only to dishonor it. ' 

* ' III. In point of experieiice the contrast between that 
found in the society and in the earlier church seems as 
great as in oth^r respects. The church insisted upon a 
scriptural membership, or that * to be a member of a par- 
ticular Church of Christ, as this inward work is indis- 
pensably necessar}^, so is also the outward prof essio7i of 
and belief in Jesus Christ, and those holy truths deliv- 
ered by His Spirit in the Scriptures.' * George Fox de- 
clared that the church ' is made up of living stones, liv- 
ing members, a spiritual household of which Christ is 
the head.' But when we come to the hereditary society 
we find men becoming Christians (?) 'by birth and edu- 
cation, and not by conversion and renovation of spirit.' 
Barclay's language, delineating the apostasy of the apos- 
tolic churches, most fittingly applies to his own! * For 
the particular churches of Christ, gathered in the apos- 
tles' days, soon after beginning to decay as to the inward 
life, came to be overgrown with several errors, and the 
hearts of the professors of Christianity to be leavened 
with the old spirit and conversation of the world.' How 
could it be otherwise, with a birthright membership, from 
whom no confession of Christ or of their own regeneration 
had ever been required, nor even the responsibility in- 
* R. Barclay, "Apol.," Prop. X. 



CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 249 

volved in making an outward profession of religion ? To 
be sure, ' disorderly walkers ' were expelled, and inno- 
cency of life and conversation was insisted upon, but, 
after all, the difference between them and other respect- 
able sinners might consist only in matters of education 
and usage. Of course, hereditary members must have 
hereditary convictions, prejudices, and customs, to which 
they adhere with a fleshly and unreasoning tenacity. 
They are ours, neither because of reason nor of revela- 
tion, but of inheritance; hence are a part of our natural 
make-up. And yet there was incumbent upon the so- 
ciety a sort of hereditary duty to keep up a continuity of 
witness to the 'immediate guidance of the Spirit.' But if 
this is merely a doctrinal, and not an experimental wit- 
ness, it is but the activity of a galvanized corpse. 

' ' IV. The Bible has been superseded as the only creed 
and under the modern regime of the society there came to 
be a virtual substitution of the ' Writings of Early Friends ' 
for the Scriptures. It seems incredible, to the average 
mind, that the ' comments ' of these good men should not 
be binding upon us. But they are not, and it has been a 
great mistake to regard them so. In fact, the opposition 
of the early Friends to ' man-made creeds ' was universal 
and unalterable. Their writings are not all of the nature 
or design of a creed; and William Penn expressly pro- 
tests against the tendency to set up their ' comments ' 
upon Scripture as authoritative, and says that if these be 
'made the creed instead of the text, from that time we be- 
lieve not in God but in man.' Nevertheless, our bondage 
to ecclesiasticism has been precisely similar to that from 
which our fathers claimed a commission from God to de- 
liver men. So, too, hyper-spirituality pushed the doc- 
trine of the Spirit's guidance beyond scriptural limits, 
17 



250 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

and some 'went out into imaginations,' as said George 
Fox, and asserted the necessity of ' a judge of outward 
controversy above Scripture.' Bold and fanatical pre- 
tenders to inspiration have always found adherents, and 
the attempts of Penn and Barclay to modify their extrav- 
agant claims failed to nullify their deadly eflfects. The 
early Friends relied upon the spiritual enlightenment of 
individual believers to such an extent as would secure 
sufficient unification in faith and practice for the Church 
of Christ. And their trust was not delusive, in so far as 
the membership was up to the mark of experimental sal- 
vation, w^hich they professed, taught, and required. But 
the society's remedy for a fatal defect in this respect was 
not after the divine or Gospel plan, nor yet after the hu- 
man plan, of a condensed, deliberate, and authoritative 
creed. Its substitute for the lost bo7id of spiritual u7iio7i 
was legislation. Rules of discipline have been freely 
used for undergirding the ship. And it is not always the 
question whether the things prohibited are wrong and 
sinful in themselves, but are they 'Quakerly?' Disci- 
pline has been enforced against tens of thousands of 
members who had never offended their own consciences, 
nor the Word of God, nor apostolic practice, simply to 
vindicate consistency with 'our views.' Indeed, our 
* handwriting of ordinances ' has once been as minute and 
exacting as that of the Jews themselves. It has dealt 
with hats, coats, cravats, suspenders, trousers, shoes, 
beards, bonnets, shawls, dresses, speech, and marriage. 
Truly, a law of sin and death, the penalties of which mul- 
titudes have suffered. Such outward signs have been en- 
forced with the same rigor that some other * outward 
signs ' have been banished. And it must be confessed 
that such strictness of legislation and society require- 



CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 251 

merits has always been in an inverse ratio to the spiritual 
life and power, and the demand for 2i scriptural righteous- 
ness. Now, that a church may have its discipline there 
is no question, and this may* be just as 'broad as God's 
commandments ' are, but it must keep within the Word 
of God, or it ceases to be a law of His church. 

"It may, indeed, be the law of an association, or a club, 
or a society, and contain any rules they see fit to adopt, 
but if a church insists upon rules which transcend the 
constitutional law which God has given, in His word, 
it must cease to be a church ; for it forfeits the headship 
of Christ, and by its own act secedes from the com- 
monwealth of churches, just as a state can do a similar 
thing. 

"V. Our last point of contrast relates to ivork and its 
results. To gather a church out of the world was the 
hard work of ministers ' filled with the Spirit, 'who went 
everywhere preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and 
who were rewarded with success. To rear up birthright 
members of a society, and give them religious training 
and a guarded education, is largely the work of parents. 
John Fry, an eminent minister, wrote a letter to the 
* Morning Meeting of Ministers and Elders ' (of which 
he was the first clerk) in 1765. He says: 

"'This church was at first gathered by a living and 
powerful ministry, and now the society and its rulers be- 
gin to think that the situation is altered, and that it can 
now thrive and grow and become fresh and green with- 
out it ! Are we ashamed of the foolishness of preaching 
which was so effectual in primitive times ? ' * 



Inner Life," etc. By R. Barclay. Loudon : 1877. 



252 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

' ' In the meantime the system of lay eldership, or an 
order of men that controlled and governed the ministry 
to an alarming extent, was introduced. 

' ' ' Ministers were exposed to hasty and uncalled-for 
criticism by those fond of such a task, and, therefore, not 
right themselves.' Then there came a testimony to 
' silent meetings,' and ministerial activity was more than 
discouraged. The radical change thus affected, is strik- 
ingly shown by another statement in the letter alread}^ 
cited. Its author says that he went at the usual time to 
the London Ministers' Meeting on the First-day morn- 
ing, and found that not a single minister attended! *I 
went away,' he writes, 'disappointed and sorrowful, re- 
flecting on the flourishing state of that meeting, when I 
first attended it nearly forty years since, when it con- 
sisted of ministers only ! ' While these men in the early 
church gave up their business for the wo;-k of the minis- 
tr^^ we find in our day men who give up the ministry for 
their business. And there are strong tendencies to 3'ield 
to the secularizing influences of the day. This material- 
istic, free-thinking, and lawless age is pleased with any- 
thing unchurchly and anti-ordinance. It hates Bibles 
and creeds, and Sabbaths and 'technical piety,' and it 
flatters those of a loose theology on such matters. It 
loves money and ease, and honors and carnal security, 
and self-indulgence. But, says Edward Burrough : 

' ' ' This way of religion is according to the Scriptures, 
and in the fulfilling of them in doctrine, practice, and 
conversation; and the ministry, ordinances, church gov- 
ernment, and discipline are in the same power and Spirit, 
and by the example of the apostles; for the Spirit of God, 
which did convince our consciences of the truth of this 



CONFESSIONS OF A QUAKER. 253 

way, leads us in the same way, as the servants of God 
walked in the doctrines and practices. ' * 

' ' Once again let it be proclaimed, that in order to build 
up the church and increase its membership by legitimate 
ingatherings from the world, there must be a full return 
to the original basis of the church of Christ, and entire 
consecration to its living Head, in theoi^ogy, polity, 
EXPERIENCE, and WORK. And the only true model for 
this is found in the New Testament Scriptures ! " 



* Barclay's "Inner L^ife. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

A FINISHED COURSE. 

" I have finished my course." 

^OMEONE has said, "A man is immortal until his 
J*^ work is done." This, of course, needs some qual- 
ification, for some men die before they have ever begun 
the true work of life. And others, if we read Scripture 
aright, are cut off in divine chastisement and judgment 
for Isolation of laws and principles of spiritual life. We 
do believe this; that one abiding in the fullness of the 
Spirit will surely live out his daj^s. And this we say 
with full recognition of the fact that many very good men 
die at what we call the very prime of life. So did Jesus. 
And of the fact that some of God's saints are martyred 
at the hands of wicked men. Indeed, it was predicted 
that some should by such death glorify God. Again, it is 
no doubt true that some men seem to wear themselves out 
in the service of the Eord by arduous toils, wearisome 
journe^^s, disorganized habits of sleep and diet, expos- 
ures by reason of change of climate, etc. Adam Clark, 
the commentator, says somewhere that " any minister 
who will be faithful to his trust will become a martyr'' 
For all this there is ground to believe that a special Prov- 
idence guards and guides a holy man's life. And many 
mysteries and perplexities in reconciling this with some 

(254j 



A FINISHED COURSE. 255 

of the things just referred to will vanish when we recog- 
nize that not longevity, but the fulfillment of God's will 
in us and through us, is the true purpose of life. When 
this is fulfilled, a man's work and his day end together. 

It was so 'with the blessed Master, who could not be 
taken and destroyed before His hour was come, and was 
able to address the Father saying, " I have finished the 
work which thou gavest me to do." It was so with the 
Apostle Paul, who anticipated and announced his depart- 
ure, and testified, "I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith. " 

We believe it was so with David Updegraff. It is evi- 
dently the divine will to preadvise His faithful servants 
of the approach of their translation. And some things 
make us feel that his end did not take him so much by 
surprise as it did some of us. Though it was not until 
within a very few weeks of his death that he was ap- 
prised, or at all suspicious, of the grave nature of the 
complaint which took his life, and which had been 
stealthily preying upon his strength for probably some 
years before, yet, as we review it now, we are convinced 
that he must have been, by some Scriptural insight, in 
anticipation of his departure. He had set his house in 
order. Everything, so far as human foresight and pru- 
dent management could control, had been arranged for 
the adjustment and allotment of his affairs. He had 
been the burden-bearer for his family and for friends, and 
now he wisely planned for their welfare, as the responsi- 
bilities must be dropped by him, to be taken up by an- 
other. 

For some months before his death, and before his 
friends were apprehensive of its approach, he manifested 
a solicitous concern about pastoral supply for the church 



256 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

at Mount Pleasant. For years he had been their fore- 
most preacher and practically their pastor. I^ike a lov- 
ing father, he was anxious that suitable provision should 
be made for the flock. And it was a noticeable coin- 
cidence that the committee appointed by the meeting 
to consider the question met the very same week in 
which David died to report the result of their considera- 
tions upon the matter, the outcome of which was, that 
with scarcely an interim, his ministry among them was 
succeeded by the faithful pastoral labors of John Pen- 
nington, who received the call to this office as coming 
from God Himself. 

David, in like manner, had about drawn his literary 
labors to a close. It was against much lo\dng entreaty 
and some earnest remonstrance that he concluded the 
" Friends' Expositor " with the sixth volume. Some felt 
it to be in the very height of its influence. None felt 
willing to forego its blessed helpfulness. But he was 
quietly, lovingly firm in his decision that his ministry in 
this direction was ended. 

' ** Old Corn " was published a year or more before he 
left us. And though at the time he was busy pushing it 
through for the press, other matters were crowding upon 
him, and some suggested that he should defer it for a more 
convenient season, he answered (though in a way not to 
create alarm) in a manner that clearly indicated that he 
understood it was ''now or never'' And so it proved; for, 
had it been deferred until the following year, it is safe to 
say it would never have been published at all. 

Towards the very close of his career he had a clear pre- 
sentiment that his end was at hand. A week before his 
death he aroused loved ones at the midnight hour, to tell 
them that he had been apprised that the "sentence of 



A FINISHED COURSE. 257 

death was now upon him." This was unattended with 
any new or serious developments at the time, though he 
was now so ill that loving and sanguine friends were 
very ready to think or hope that he was simply delirious. 
But this impression abode with him from this on by day 
and by night. Devout friends who gathered at his bed- 
side from day to day reminded him how, though the sen- 
tence of death had passed upon Hezekiah, yet his days 
were lengthened fifteen years in answer to importunate 
prayer; and could not the Lord do this for their David? 
"Yes," he replied; and if thou hast faith for that, pray." 
The season of prayer which followed was a marvelous 
time of blessing. Heaven and earth seemed to overlap. 
As at Bethel, God was truly in the place. The sweetest 
assurances of divine grace and power came to every heart. 
Most all of them interpreted these great blessings as as- 
surances that David would rise yet to bless the world with 
his ministry. Some, indeed, were very confident of this. 
And little wonder; for we are all so liable to misinterpret 
heaven's telegrams on the side of our desire. David's 
original impression or conviction was the true one. 
Though doctors thought he was getting better, and 
though spiritually-minded friends believed he could not 
die, yet our heavenly Father had sweetly said, "It is 
enough." He was going up higher. And we take it 
that these mighty blessings and misinterpreted assur- 
ances were the Savior's way of telling us that " My grace 
is sufficient for thee." 

Till within about a day of the end he was both rational 
and conscious. He was favored in death with the minis- 
try of loving wife and faithful children ; and surrounded 
with some, too, who were his children and companions in 
the labors of the Gospel and the affairs of the church. 



258 MEMOIR. OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Every mark of Christ's love and of Christian love was 
plainly visible in the dying hour of the man of God and 
servant of our I^ord Jesus Christ. 

It was at three o'clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, 
the twenty-third day of May, 1894, that he left us. As 
the news flashed over the wires, and through the country, 
what surprise, what sorrow were felt by hearts and homes 
and churches! The feeling shared by almost everyone 
who knew him was, *'I have lost an intimate, personal 
friend." He had been a helper to so manj^'s joys, and a 
sympathizer in so many's sorrows, that we wept and have 
felt lonely ever since, as though a father were taken 
away. We append, a little farther on, a few of the flow- 
ers which loving hearts and hands hastened to drop on 
his casket, but will speak here more particularly of his 
funeral and the Memorial ser^dce which followed. 

HIS DEPARTURE. 

* ' It was Tuesday morning before the devoted house- 
hold came fully to realize that their beloved was really 
going to leave them. All that day he spent in a state of 
coma, sinking steadily — we think without sense of suffer- 
ing — until Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock, when his 
spirit calmly took its flight and his body rested. Antici- 
pating this hour, he had asked that his children sing while 
he was breathing his last, 

' Sweeping through the gates. 
Washed in the blood of the Lamb.' 

"Faithful, loving children, they did their best. But 
their breaking, sobbing hearts were unable to make music, 
save in a minor key and to broken measure. Rev. Z. 
Hussey, a minister of the Society of Friends, and an in- 
timate friend of Brother Updegraff, was by his side, and 



A FINISHED COURSE. 259 

at this moment commended his spirit to the God who gave 
it. And thus, amidst the comforts of his own f amity cir- 
cle, and with the loving care of his long invalid wife, who, 
as he told her, had been raised up to minister to his dying 
hours, and surrounded by Christian friends, and with the 
very breath of heaven, our beloved David closed his earthly 
toils, to enter the courts of glory, where, with the songs 
unchecked by sobs, the angels met him and welcomed 
him into the presence of the Savior whose power to cleanse 
and to keep he had so long delighted to declare. 

' ' The news ran rapidly over the wires to all parts of 
the country. It startled us all. No one could scarcely 
believe it true. (Some of us cannot feel it true yet. ) Tel- 
egrams of condolence began at once to pour in to the 
bereft faimly. Many wanted to come to 

THE FUNERAL, 

which was fixed for Friday afternoon. Had the time not 
been so short and Mount Pleasant a little difficult of ac- 
cess, many more from a distance would have reached it. 
But as it was, a number did arrive. And the whole home 
comrfiunity, and from miles around turned out en masse. 
The large meeting house, which seats probably 1,500 per- 
sons, was brought into requisition for the occasion. Young 
and old, rich and poor, saint and sinner, everybody, irre- 
spective of denominational affiliation, was there, mourn- 
ing as one great family. The services, conducted by 
Brother Hussey, were fittingly characteristic of the de- 
parted. Grief, it is true, could not be suppressed. Yet a 
spirit of praise and song pervaded all the exercises. Script 
ure was read by Rev. Hussey, follovv^ed by prayer, offered 
by Rev. Joseph H. Smith. After singing. Dr. Dougan 
Clark preached from II. Kings 2 : 12. Then the meeting 



260 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

was opened for other ministers, — Brother Pringle, Pres- 
byterian pastor; Brother Hussey, Quaker minister; Brother 
Smith, Methodist, and others participating until time had 
expired; but with many more full hearts eager to pour 
out their grateful tributes. A vast concourse of people 
passed slowly by the casket, to take a farewell look at our 
brother. During this mournful procession all who could, 
sang, 

' God be with you till we meet again.' 

Then the funeral train moved on to the family burying 
ground, a mile distant, when the last good-bye was taken. 
The scene here was beautiful and touching. The six sons 
(including two sons-in-law) carried the body to the grave. 
As it rested there, each of the four daughters dropped a 
rose upon the casket as a farewell tribute to their loved 
and loving father. Brother Clarke spoke a few words, 
assuring the family that their loved one was not there ; 
only his house of clay would be lowered. He was above 
us. A final benediction, and we turned our backs to face 
now a world which would ever seem lonelier because 
Brother Updegraff had left it. 

" But affection and gratitude still lingered, so that it 
seemed to be the universal wish and judgment that the 
writer should tarry over the coming Sabbath and conduct 

A MEMORIAL SERVICE. 

" This we consented to do. It was decided right and 
most fitting to hold this service in the Friends' new church 
at Mount Pleasant, which he had dedicated and over which 
he himself had been the shepherd so long. The day was 
beautiful. Seemed as though some of the sunshine of 
heaven had been lent us to make us glad in our grief. 



A FINISHED COURSE, 261 

There were crowded into the church a hundred more per- 
sons than they thought it could hold. A quiet atmos- 
phere of love and joy and praise filled the place, and yet 
a tincture of sadness and sorrow throughout it all. There 
was no dark emblem of mourning. The departed preach- 
er's chair was literally covered with beautiful flowers and 
draped with white satin ribbon. On it were placed a 
bound volume of the Friends' Expositor, a copy of 
his book on the Ordhia?ic€s, and a copy of Old Com. Upon 
this all was placed his own Bible, which he had carried 
everywhere, which was marked upon almost every page, 
and yet which he had kept in such a careful state of pres- 
ervation. 

' ' The platform was filled with preachers. The people 
sang, not doleful h3-mns, but such songs of praise as Da- 
vid loved so well: ' Arise, my Soul,' 'O, 'T was Love,' 
' We Shall Meet,' etc. Just before the sermon his own 
children, whose gifts of song he had so much enjoyed, 
joined together in singing a favorite selection. Many 
wanted to speak. But it had been expected and announced 
,that the writer would preach a sennon, which he did, from 
the text, ' I have finished my course. ' 

** The presence and power of the Spirit were mightily 
felt. In fact, sometimes we could scarce resist the feeling 
that Brother Updegraff's spirit was also there. After the 
sermon and the reading of some of the many letters and 
telegrams which had been received, and seeing that many 
could not speak, we called for a living memorial, and 
asked the people upon reflection to deliberately answer 
the following question : How many of you are conscious 
that you are better men and women because David Up- 
degraff has lived? A moment's prayerful silence, and 



262 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAfF. 

then fully four-fifths of the vast congregation rose to their 
feet. What a moment ! We sang, 

' God be with you till we meet again.' 

"And then hundreds wended their way homeward, feel- 
ing that his death had dropped an additional responsibil- 
ity upon us all to live more earnestly, and each take up 
our share of the work he had begun. 

TELEGRAMS AND I^ETTERS OF CONDOI^ENCE. 

These came from all parts of the countr)^ We intro- 
duce but a few of them. 

" KoKOMO, Ind. 
" Inexpressible sympathy. Bereaved wnth you. Read 
II. Sam. 8: 38. Esther Tuttle Pritchard." 

(Friends' Minister.) 

" New York. 
" Mrs. D. B. Updegrafe. — New York Yearly Meeting 
assembled. Sends love and sympathy. Read Num. 6: 
24, 25. 26. Charles Jones, Clerk." 

" San Fracisco, Cal. 
"Mrs. D. B. Updegraff. — Suffering with you. 
I.Thess. 4: 14-18. R. Kelso Carter." 

" Knoxv.ille, Iowa. 
"Mrs. E. J. Updegraff. — II. Kings 2: 12. My 
heart bleeds. Can't reach you. E.F.Walker." 

(Presbj'^terian Evangelist.) 

" New Castle, Ind. 
" Mrs. E. J. Updegraff. — This breaks my heart. I 
will come to the funeral. Joseph H. Smith." 

(Methodist Evangelist.) 



A FINISHED COURSE. 263 

" Dear Sister. — Just as I was to mail this (a letter to 
David) thy card and other letters reached us, giving us 
the word that David is no more. How it affects me! 
He has gone on before! The I^ord comfort and bless 
you! I have been very near the Golden Gate the past 
winter, but am revived again. Our heartfelt sympathy 
goes over the mountains and rivers to you. 

" Your brother, J. H. Douglas." 

(Friends' Minister and Evangelist.) 

" Providence, R. I. 
" Our hearts are broken! We weep with yoii. Your 
dear David was to us what no other living man has been. 
So good, so true, so noble, such a tower of strength was 
he! Our sorrow is unutterable. God bless you, dear 
Sister. Words seem so powerless as we attempt to offer 
comfort. Our church has lost her greatest preacher, 
teacher, and leader. God help us to bear it ! O ! the 
host of his converts who met him at the gate ! While 
thousands here sorrow over his departure, all the galleries 
of heaven shout for joy, and every celestial harper struck 
his harp anew over his triumphal entry into the City of 
Gold. Yours in sorrow. 

" Seth C. and Huldah Rees." 

(Friends' Ministers.) 

" The news of David's death was a great shock to us. 
While aware he was in poor health, we did not l£now he 
was dangerously ill. 

" David was to me more than a Christian brother; he 
was a ' true yoke-fellow,' but he has reached the goal 
first. ' Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.' With 
deepest sympathy, thy sincere friend, 

"Luke Woodard." 
(Friends' Minister.) 



264 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDRGRAFF. 

" Philadelphia. 

" My Beloved Friends. — Thy last letter had scarcely 
been received an hour, creating grave concern, though 
still leaving me with hope, when the sad telegram re- 
vealed the latest report! It came as a shock ! I was not 
prepared for it. But soon came the consciousness of the 
glorious exchange from that bed of suffering to a man- 
sion of eternal rest. And heart-aching as was my sor- 
row, how could I forbear to rejoice in the deliverance of 
my dear brother ? Planted in the temple of his God, to 
go out no more forever! Were our dear Lord less loving 
or less faithful or less wise, I should fear to contemplate 
your loss, but I feel sure you are realizing the strength 
of His everlasting arm. Yes, and will continue to feel it 
through coming loneliness. 

" Dear Iridic, may he be favored to rest in His loving 
presence as a child on its mother's breast, ' as one whom 
his mother comforteth.' 

" I perhaps ought not to write of my own loss in the 
presence of your inexpressible bereavement, yet mine is 
great indeed. He was brother and counselor to me, and 
I cannot describe the blank I shall feel. 

'* But I will not weary you. I should be so comforted 
if I could be with )^ou to-morrow ! Feeling thankful in 
being able to commend you to a sure hiding-place, in 
this grievous affliction, and in knowing that His presence 
is there, I am most lovingly yours, 

"E. H. Farnum." 

" Philadelphia. 
"Never was I more surprised than when I received 
your telegram announcing the death of your beloved hus- 



A FINISHED COURSE. 265 

band. I know he has been a very sick man, but the last 
news I had I considered so full of encouragement that I 
wrote an article for the Standard telling our friends that 
I fully expected Brother UpdegrafF at Mountain Lake 
Park. This is such a shock that I scarcely know how or 
what to write. You will sorrow, but jou will not sorrow 
as one having no hope. Brother Updegraff is in heaven. 
With him the battle has been fought and the victory 
gained. He rests from his labors, and his works do fol- 
low him. He being dead, yet speaketh. 

"I 3^earn to attend the funeral, and see my beloved 
brother laid away in the resting-place prepared for his 
mortal remains, but the spirit has a more abiding rest. 
You |have lost a good husband, the children have lost a 
good father, the church has lost a faithful minister of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. I have lost a faithful and beloved 
friend. I never can tell anyone how much I shall miss 
him, but I shall soon go and meet him. May the good 
Lord graciously sustain you in your sorrow. You know 
from whence your help cometh. 

"John Thompson." 
(Methodist Minister.) 

"BORDENTOWN, N. J. 

"Mrs. David Updegraff. — We are overwhelmed 
with sorrow at the death of our dear brother in Christ— 
your precious husband. 

" With you and your dear children, Pitman Grove As- 
sociation is greatly bereaved. How we shall miss him, 
and how strange it will seem not to see his smiling face 
and hear his strong appeals ! He was a great and good 
man of God, and a great power for good. We tender you 
18 



266 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

our warmest sympathies and pray that the God of the 
widow will be rich in His grace toward you all. 
' ' Yours in Christ, 

"A. K. Ballard, Pres't, 
"W. Walton, Sec'y." 

" My Very Dear Friend. — I can scarcely trust my- 
self to write even these few lines. I am greatly aflBiicted. 
Your sorrow is, in a very peculiar sense, my sorrow and 
the sorrow of thousands to whom your precious husband 
was made a benediction. 

" One event in his life brought him very near to me, 
and enshrines his memory forever in my heart. My fel- 
lowship with him all these years has been without a break, 
and my love for him has been increasing as my knowl- 
edge of him and his experience has been enlarged. What 
a blessing he has been to me and my people in his min- 
istry, only eternity will unfold. 

" Precious brother! The church can illy afford to lose 
thee, but thy ministry will not end with thy earthly life. 
That service, unfettered and glorious, with more perfect 
knowledge and enlarged powers, will be continued before 
the throne of God and the I^amb. And there we shall 
meet thee and greet thee, in God's own good time. Please 
accept the expression of my sincere S3^mpathy and pray- 
ers, in which I w^ould include thy household. May the 
dear I^ord sustain and comfort thee ! 
" Yours in holy fellowship, 

" Edgar M. Levy." 
(Baptist Minister.) 

"Dear Mrs. Updegraff. — With great surprise and 
deepest grief have we heard of the fatal termination of 
dear David's illness. It seems like a cruel dream, and I 



A FINISHED COURSE. 267 

cannot realize that it is indeed a fact that no more on this 
side of the golden pavement shall mine eyes behold that 
saint of God. Long ere this reaches you, many, very 
many expressions of deepest sympathy will have come to 
you; but not many outside his own precious family ap- 
preciated his worth as have my dear wife and myself. I 
expect to be a better man, and through grace to attain a 
higher place in heaven through his blessed teachings. 

" How can I but dread to thread the walks at dear 
Mountain Lake Park, without the expectation of looking 
into his face ! 

" God bless and uphold you in this great stroke is the 
prayer of thousands, and of 

" Your very sincere friend, A. W. Dennktt.' 

" Newark, N. J. 

"My Dear Mrs. Updegraff. — Among the many 
who have sent you loving remembrance of your dear 
husband, please give me a humble place. 

'' I do so mourn his departure. I was making my plans 
to go to Pitman Grove* this summer, there to fill my eyes 
and soul once more with the sights and emotions of that 
blessed hour when I yielded myself to God, and to sit for 
a day or two at the feet of that God-taught man. I shall 
never hear his voice again, but deep within my soul its 
memory will alwa3'S ring. But I have not missed the 
blessing; I have felt so alone and bereft that I had to get 
down lower at the Master's feet than ever before, and I 
do know, and the effects are visible, that I have received 
a greater portion of his faith and power. God bless you 
all. E. O. McFarland." 

(Presbyterian Minister.) 



268 MEMOIR OF DA VID B, UPDEGRAFF. 

"Warren, Ohio. 
" Dear Sister Updegraff and Family. — My own 
heart aches with thousands of others, as I mourn the per- 
sonal loss of him on whom you leaned, and who was be- 
loved by us all. A prince is crowned ! Though in tears, 
you also shall triumph. The dear Lord knows why. 
Let iis trust and finish our work in the fullness of that 
grace which is more than sufficient. God bless you all. 
* ' In sympathy and prayers, 

' ' George F. Oliver. ' ' 
(Methodist Minister.) 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

OTHER MExMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 

WK have been urged to publish either in this book, or 
in separate form, the memorial sermon preached 
upon this occasion by the writer of these lines. But as 
we review the sermon, and review the contents of this 
book, we find that the latter is very much of an unfold- 
ing of the former, and to repeat the sermon here would, 
we think, be unprofitable, and, perhaps, wearisome rep- 
etition to the reader. So we have elected instead, to pub- 
lish in full the able and fitting editorial written for the 
Christian Standard, and published in that paper June 7, 
1894. 

IN MEMORIAM: DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 
BY REV. E. I. D. PEPPER. 

"Since the decease of that mighty man of God, that 
inspired and inspiring preacher, that thrilling exhorter, 
•that 'son of thunder,' that many-sided spiritual genius, 
that God-commissioned leader of the hosts of the Lord, 
John S. Inskip, no man's departure from this life could 
be more deeply and lastingly felt in the world-wide holi- 
ness movement, than that of David B. Updegraff . 

" His position was peculiar and influential. For many 
years he has been an honored minister in the Society of 

(•269) 



270 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Friends, 3^et he belonged by common consent to all de- 
nominations. He was a thorough American, yet by his 
broad views and sympathies he belonged to all countries. 
He was an "ecclesiastic,' yet he w^as also a 'man of af- 
fairs ' in the best meaning of that sentence. He was a 
rigid and loyal churchman, yet he was tolerant, liberal, 
and all -comprehensive in his pure and perfect love for all 
God's people. He was catholic and cosmopolitan. All 
claimed him. He cordially allowed the claim. He ad- 
mirably fulfilled the claim. He respected all Scripturally- 
instituted religious forms, without degenerating into a 
mere ritualist and legalist. He insisted upon law and or- 
der, yet he was * in bondage to no man.' He listened re- 
spectfully to those who ' seemed to be somewhat ' in the 
church, but whatsoever they were, it made no matter to 
him, he sided with God in * accepting no man's person,' 
but rather, if in conference these * somewhats ' added 
nothing to him, and if God revealed His Son in him, 
touching any point, * immediately he conferred not with 
flesh and blood,' but resolutely followed on to know the 
lyord and to finish His will and word and work, 

" No bishop or superintendent in any branch of the 
Christian church stood out, by the very force of events 
and of 'manifest destiny,' more prominently and pervas- 
ively than did he. He was a ' bishop of souls ' in an 
unusual and conspicuous degree. He was * something 
new under the sun,' a Quaker bishop — not set apart ' by 
the laying on of hands,' but ' by the fingers of God ' — 
not consecrated by ' holy oil,' but by the evident ' unction 
of the Holy One ' — not man-made, but God-made— not 
a sprout from some council, but 'chosen of God,' com- 
missioned by Christ, and inspired by the Holy Ghost — 
not the upshot of ministerial politics and churchly ' deals,' 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 271 

but the forthcoming of that promotion that came neither 
from the east, west, north or south, but which was the 
evident ordering of the Lord, who, in His own good wis- 
dom and judgment, will and pleasure, time and way, 
setteth up one and putteth down another — not machine- 
made and wire- worked was he, but providentially evolved 
— not the choice of some caucus, but the glad response to 
a divine call — not in the apostolical succession ' by the 
casting of a lot,' but, like David of old, selected by heaven 
from among his brethren while yet tending his flock — not 
the successful candidate of a lot of personal accommoda- 
tions, but the inevitable outgrowth of imperative necessi- 
ties in the kingdom of God — not the elect of questionable 
human expedients, but the calm and modest, grateful and 
reverent, amazed >' et obedient, acceptor of the developing 
divine will and order. 

"As a man and minister, his massive brain; his clear, 
coherent, comprehensive ecclesiastical and religious views; 
his orthodox theology; his Christlike creed; his correct, 
lucid, and cogent scriptural expositions; his masterly and 
effective pulpit eloquence; his quick perceptions on all 
points; his deep spiritual discernment ; his singularly in- 
tuitive insight into all phases of human nature ; his mas- 
terly handling of masses of people ; his born leadership ; 
his carefully used power to place and work others while 
he worked in and through and with them in admirable 
fellowship; his indomitable will; his dauntless courage ; 
his patient endurance of the inevitable ; his hopeful spirit; 
his tireless activity ; his deep piety ; his long experience ; 
his wide, careful, accurate observation ; his personal mag- 
netism that drew to him and clinched to his heart and help 
the most devoted of God's ministers and saints; his power 
to re-organize victory even out of seeming or actual de- 



272 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGkAPR 

feat ; his (NapoleoHic) ' oblivion to the fact that he ever 
was beaten in any battle ' of the I^ord ; his steadfast love 
for his friends, Christlike compassion for his bitterest en- 
emies, and ability to transform foes into friends; his unity 
of purpose and life ; his single-eyedness to the glory of 
God ; his whole-souled humanness and humaneness ; his 
gracious condescension to men of low estate; his com- 
panionable waj'S with all ; his read)^ access and graceful 
bearing among all classes of society; his persistent per- 
sonal appeals, under all circumstances and in all places, 
to saints and sinners, in all grades of religious or irrelig- 
ious experience; his captivating power of ' buttonholing ' 
entire strangers in the cars or streets or anywhere, and 
making them listen to his warnings and exhortations and 
invitations ; his fearless and faithful dealings with indi- 
vidual sins and sinners; his courageous calling things by 
their right names; his uncompromising yet tender per- 
suasions by the terrors of the Lord ; his ease and ingenu- 
ity and thoroughness in managing social and religious 
meetings; his sanctified judgment and common-sense; 
his sparkling and instructive wdt ; his natural, universal, 
unfailing politeness and good humor and good manners 
under the most trying emergencies; his ringing and con- 
tagious laughter, that usually carried with it a penetrative 
point and * a most palpable hit ; ' his gift of obvServing, 
gathering, remembering, imagining and utilizing in the 
pulpit and elsewhere, so many incisive, convincing, con- 
victing, comforting, saving illustrations and incidents; 
his readiness in the use of silencing, if not converting, 
repartee — all these, and no doubt more, qualified him pre- 
eminently to stand in the verj^ fore-front of the cause of 
religion and especially of entire sanctification. 

"He believed enthusiastically in the Millennium. If 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 273 

anybody ever felt like charging him in this connection 
with ' pessimism ' concerning current history, all will 
agree that he was the most optimistic pessimist in heart 
and hope and cheer that ever was born. His whole 
sanctified life and ministry was spent in creating, as far 
as he could, a spiritual millennium around and within 
himself and others. He believed that one preparation 
for the millennium was the ' preaching of the Gospel to 
every creature,' and, so believing, he traveled rapidly, 
far and near, submitting cheerfully to long absences, with 
manifold discomforts, from the home he loved so well, 
trying to preach to as many as possible before he was 
called hence. 

" He preached a whole Gospel. He did not preach 
baptized morality, but he preached a crucified and risen 
Christ with a pathos, power, and persuasiveness seldom 
excelled. He spurned the intimation that either regen- 
eration or entire sanctification was merely tantamount to 
common honesty, to adhering to truth, to paying one's 
debts, to giving good measure, and all such-like twaddle. 
Those accustomed to hear kim, well remember his fre- 
quent arraignments of the ' Old Man ' of inbred sin, and 
how that discomforted embodiment of carnality would 
sneak away out of souls whom he had long fast bound, 
as this good hater of that ' Old Man ' lashed his back 
with a stinging threefold cord of logic, law, and Gospel. 
He preached penitence, pardon, purity, and perfect love. 
He enjo3^ed salvation in himself and in others, but he 
heartily despised shows, shams, and shallowness. His 
ministry dived into the deep things of God and into the 
deep things of religion. He believed in the Holy Ghost, 
and, so. believing, spake with the Holy Ghost sent down 
from heaven. 



274 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

"His home life (so we have learned from those who 
have spent long seasons under his roof, around his hos- 
pitable table, and near his fireside) was charming in its 
great-hearted love; in its exquisite tenderness; in its 
thoughtful considerateness; in its manifold delightful 
manifestations towards all; in its quick anticipation and 
supply, not only of need, but also of comfort; in its boun- 
tiful entertainment; in its admirable simplicity; in its 
childlike * hilarion ' (a Scriptural word) ; in its confiding 
' abandon ; ' in its Quaker-like, ' j^early-meeting ' accom- 
modativeness ; in its interdenominational and international 
catholicity; and in its holy atmosphere. 

" He was most respected and admired and loved in his 
ow^n yearl}^ meeting, in the * meeting-house ' where he 
was long pastor, in the town and vicinity where he lived, 
and in his own family. In that quiet western home, 
where every room and every object revive precious mem- 
ories of the love and labor of this departed husband and 
father, are bleeding hearts that thrill to these words as 
they read them dimly through their tears. His influence 
was greatest among those «'who knew him best. His 
word to them was 'the perfect law of liberty.' He 
swayed by the law of love. He was tolerant even to in- 
dulgence, yet he easily molded public and social, political 
and ecclesiastical, family and private opinion. 

" He was the nearest of any man we have known, in 
very many points of likeness, to our well-beloved and 
still-lamented John S. Inskip. Copy anything in Inskip? 
Never! He was too truly great to copy anything in 
anybod3^ He originated — not imitated. He led — not 
followed. He set copy for others, but copied none. 
Yet, ever and anon, suddenly, unexpectedly, on- some 
occasion great or small, a look, a word, a gesture, some 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 275 

skillful tactics, some victorious flank movement would 
remind us of Inskip. I^ike Inskip, he was a natural 
camp-meeting general. Quick in response, profitable in 
suggestion, apt in giving much-needed help, and admir- 
able in getting souls to God. 

' ' Once, in writing the report of a camp-meeting at 
Mountain I^ake Park, we had occasion to allude to 
Brother Updegraff at some length. As we were quietly 
admiring this royal man and manager, the expression, 

" ' Our King David ' 

Flashed into our thought. We penned it lovingly, and 
we believe truthfully, at that time. We do not retract it. 
We re-affirm it with even greater loyalty to our great 
and good leader. The original King David never de- 
served loyalty better than he. King David's claims were 
by birthright. 'Our King David's' claims were by his 
peculiar personality, his royal priesthood, his holy char- 
acter, his 'natural force,' which never 'abated' till his 
dying day. 

" Do you say, ' You have written strongly?' We could 
not help it. I^et him that can, and is disposed, go back 
over all we have written and quibble over what should be 
left out. We have no heart just now for mincing our 
words or curbing our flying pen. Did everybody regard 
and respect, admire and love this man as we did ? Of 
course not. Will everybody accord with every part of 
this editorial ? That is not what we are writing it for. 
This memorial paper is our love-tribute laid on his grave, 
while those who think and feel as we do look reverently 
on. Some such are even now thinking over more things 
that they would gladly have added hereto. Could such 
a masterly man and minister and leader by any possibil- 



276 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

ity incur the ' woe ' pronounced on them of whom all 
speak well ? God forbid ! Bigotry could not abide such 
a spirit as his. Superficiality was plowed under by his 
subsoil preaching. Sham and show resented his vivid 
exposures. Old and decayed ecclesiasticisms tottered at 
his touch. Fossilized church dignitaries were discom- 
forted by this live man and wished him under guard, at 
a safe distance, if not under the sod. H^^pocrites of all 
shapes and sizes hid their heads from him, and hated 
him, no doubt, in their hearts, Judaism that was out- 
ward and in the letter, and not inward and in the Spirit, 
could not brook this iconoclastic hand that tore away its 
veils, millinery, traditions, antecedents, superstitions, and 
Rabbinisms. ' The world will love its own.' So will the 
living church of the living God. He never coveted a 
' mutual admiration society ' with those whose praise is 
blame. He sought rather ' a conscience void of offense 
toward God and toward man.' We believe he had it. 

'' ' Truly a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel.' 
Mourning is in our Zion; but faith and hope and holy joy 
spring from the dust. ' God buries His workmen, but 
carries on His work.' 'The lyord gave and the Lord 
hath taken away: blessed be the name of the I^ord.' 
I^et us close up the ranks and ' go forward. ' Amen ! 

MEMORIAL SERVICES ELSEWHERE. 

The first of these was held early in June at Hutchin- 
son, Kansas. 

At.the State Holiness Camp-Meeting held at this place 
Brother Updegraff had been announced as one of the 
foremost workers for this season. Many were anticipat- 
ing his coming with holy expectation, for his fame had 
preceded him. The Chief Shepherd had, however, or- 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 277 

dered it other \vise; for just a little before the writer was 
to start to Kansas to conduct another meeting, and then 
join David at Hutchinson, the telegram came announc- 
ing David's ascension to join the hosts triumphant before 
the throne. The brethren in Kansas felt that the occa- 
sion should not pass by without a suitable Memorial 
Service, which was duly arranged for, and conducted on 
the Friday afternoon of the camp. Several addresses 
were delivered by brethren who knew him well, and had 
been associated with him in the Master's work. A sin- 
gularly sweet and sacred influence of commingled sorroiu 
at the church's loss 2i\\^joy at the victor's triumph per- 
vaded the assembly. A tide of salvation set in upon that 
very meeting. A brother minister was led out into the 
light and power of full salvation. A number of other 
persons were likewise blessed. Indeed, it seemed very 
much like a meeting in which his own personality was 
felt, and as though he were actually in charge. It was 
not a funeral occasion by any means; but a season of life 
and power and glory. 

The next was the Memorial Service on July 7th 
held at 

MOUNTAIN IvAKE PARK. 

Of this we give the account written by Mrs. E. E. 
Williams for the Christian Standard: 

' ' The hour appointed for this service found gathered 
in the auditorium the largest congregation ever seen in 
this place upon the first day of the meeting. Notwith- 
standing the alleged ' hard times,' and the fact that many 
of our western friends are cut off from us because of the 
great railroad strike, yet the Lord has sent large num- 
bers of His people here, many of whom have never been 
here before, and every train brings an increase to our 



278 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF^ 

company. Large bunches of the beautiful white mount- 
ain laurel, hanging-baskets full of lovely trailing vines, 
begonias in full bloom, and other growing plants, turned 
the pulpit, platform, and sides of the auditorium into a 
perfect bower, while the lifelike picture of him in whose 
honor we were assembled, smiled loving benedictions 
down upon us from above the pulpit from which he had 
so faithfully and often proclaimed the Gospel of full sal- 
vation. Doctor Gilmour was ready w^ith his choir, and 
opened the servdce by singing ' Wonderful Love.' The 
music was soft and subdued, 3^et wonderfully sweet, and 
nearly every face in the audience was baptized with holy 
tears. 

"After the singing Brother Thompson asked me to lead 
in the opening prayer, in which I was led to thank God 
for the precious life which had in such a marvelous way 
touched and blessed so many other lives, and to express 
our acquiescence in the will of the Father in this our 
great common bereavement. But my voice was full of 
tears I know, for, as Brother Smith expresses it, ' my 
heart is in mourning.' Mr. Wesley once said that 'the 
ties of grace are stronger than the ties of nature,' and I 
know now that is true. 

"Singing Nos. 205 and 178. 

"After a few remarks from Brother Thompson, Brother 
J. H. Smith spoke of ' David B. Updegraff as w^e knew 
him.' He dwelt, not upon his natural qualifications due 
to heredity, birth, or education, but of his gracious en- 
dowments, which all might seek to obtain and emulate; 
of the graces noticeable in him as a true minister of holi- 
ness; of his broad catholicity of soul and the spirit of tol- 
erance for which he w^as so noted. Not tolerance of error 
or untruth, for these he would hunt down with tireless 



MEMORIALS AND L O VI NG TRIE UTES. 279 

vigor; not tolerant as a leader, in that he would ever let 
a meeting simply drift, but quick to turn the tide for the 
glory of God in the salvation of souls ; not tolerant of 
sermons which aimed only at beauty of diction or display 
of rhetoric, since his objective point was ' souls ' not 
* sermons ; ' but tolerant in the sense which stamped him 
a true Quaker, even while in marked Scriptural catholic- 
ity he belonged to us all, as a true preacher of righteous- 
ness, for such, indeed, he was in the highest sense of the 
term. But he was not only bent on preaching the truth 
himself, but upon getting the mouths of others pried 
open. He was possessed of a special genius for drawing 
out testimony, and hundreds are now preaching the Gos- 
pel who would never have thought of it but for him. 
He also held in high estimation the ministry of woman, 
not only in the Quaker church, but in the Pentecostal 
church of God. Women who were called to preach the 
Gospel were always sure of a full share of recognition 
under his leadership, for he was deeply convinced of the 
truth that 'in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor 
female.' 

' ' The speaker dwelt upon the systematic closing up of 
the life work of our beloved brother, which, to his mind, 
evidenced the fact that he knew the end was approach- 
ing, and proposed 'setting his house in order,' as the 
only work of preparation for death which was necessary 
for him to make, and then burst forth in tender pathos : 
' Oh, I cannot realize that he is gone — can you?' I catch 
myself often looking toward the entrance for his coming 
among us. I long to feel the pressure of his dear arm 
around me, and to hear him say, in loving tones, as he so 
often did in other days, ' The Lord bless thee, Joseph! ' 
And though in visible form he will mingle with us here 



280 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

no more, I cannot feel that he is very far away. The 
holy odor of his presence lingers around this place, 
and I dare to believe that in the spirit he is very near 
us now ! Oh, David, our David, our King David, the 
inspiration of thy life can never pass away! Thou art 
not dead ! Such men as thou wast can never, never die. 
We miss thee, and love thy memory, but we will not 
pause to weep. The cause of holiness so dear to thy 
heart demands our best efforts. With a shout we close 
up ranks and press forward to the fray ! The influence 
of thy life and teaching shall not be lost, but God shall 
have the glory, both in thee and in us. 

** As Brother Smith ceased speaking, audible sobs could 
be heard all over the auditorium. All heads were bowed 
and all hearts bleeding afresh in grief over our great loss. 
Some moments passed before the hymn announced (No, 
228) could be sung, and at best it was but a minor strain, 
sung in broken melody. But through all our sorrow and 
tears, in the sobbing sad-toned chorus, there still rang a 
chord of jubilation as we seemed to catch the gleam of a 
beckoning hand, reached over the ramparts of glory, and 
the echoes of a well-beloved voice seemed to mingle with 
our own as we sang the familiar words together : 

' Where the harps of augels ring, 
And the blest forever sing. 
In the palace of the King, 

Meet me there ; 
Where in sweet communion blend. 
Heart with heart and friend with friend. 
In a world that ne'er shall end, 

Meet me there.' 

" Dr. Dougan Clark, the bosom friend and companion 
in labor of our departed leader, now rose and came to 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 281 

the front of the platform, but some seconds passed away 
before he could command his voice to speak, and even 
then it was in broken tones and with streaming eyes. 
The love which existed between himself and Brother 
Updegraff surpassed the love of brothers in the flesh, 
and he feels our common loss too deeply for words to 
express. He spoke of their connection together as * the 
real scriptural divine union, which can only be spiritually 
discerned or understood,' and referred to my quotation 
from Mr. Wesley concerning ' the ties of grace being 
stronger than the ties of nature ' as a positive truth, even 
though worldlings could not understand it. He declared 
that no other grief or loss which had ever come to him 
in life had ever affected him like this, and said, that 
though there was no rebellion in his heart against the 
will of God, yet he found it impossible to restrain the 
tears or refrain from weeping when he thought of his 
great loss. He then spoke of the ancestry of ' Our Da- 
vid,' of his mother and grandmother, both ministers of 
the Gospel, and said, ' The training of this remarkable 
man began a hundred years before he was born. His 
mother was a remarkable woman, away ahead of the age 
in which she lived, and had to endure much from those 
who did not understand her. But she bore it all bravely, 
and transmitted to her son much of her own natural pow- 
ers of endurance. David was also born with a strong body. 
His was a marvelous physique — perfect in foundation and 
manly development. Oh, it seems so strange that he 
should go before me ! But he died of hard work, not of 
old age. And the post-mortem examination showed that 
he had been dying for years. He must have suffered 
greatly, but he never stopped for that. Think of his 
prodigious labors, his journeys to and fro, his mental toil, 
19 



282 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

as with pen and tongue he hunted error, ecclesiasticism 
and legality to the death, preaching always, with resist- 
less power, the Gospel of salvation, and pursuing with 
tireless vigor his ardent quest for souls ! Think of how, 
being ordered to California by his physicians to take rest, 
he rested by preaching sixty sermons in forty days ! Oh, 
if I could preach the Gospel for fifty years and accom- 
plish as much as he did in twenty-five years, I would feel 
that truly I had not lived in vain ! Then, too, he was a 
theologian of the true Holy Ghost type. I am and have 
been for years a teacher of theology, but the best theolog- 
ical university I ever attended was when I have sat here 
upon this platform with hundreds of other ministers and 
Christian workers all around, and listened while he indoc- 
trinated us all in the deep things of God. Oh, I would 
not have missed knowing David Updegraff for all the 
world! Peace to his memory, peace to his ashes; and 
we shall meet him, and spend eternity together. His 
Christ is ours, and the source of His power is open to us. 
During his life of labor and victory he gave God all the 
glory, and I can imagine him now casting all trophies 
down at Jesus' feet and giving Him the glory still ! ' 

' ' I have been able only to give my readers a very few 
of the beautiful loving words of these two brethren, for 
most of the time my own heart was too full to write, and 
the tears blinded me so I could not see. But it is impos- 
sible anyway to put such love as theirs (and ours) upon 
paper, and words are not adequate to convey to the minds 
of others half the truth concerning * David Updegraff as 
we knew him.' It will take the eternal ages to unfold all 
that he has been to us and to hundreds of others whose 
lives have felt his touch. Thank God for this holy, beau- 
tiful, strong, helpful life ! We grieve that it should be 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 283 

cut short, seemingly right in the midst of his usefulness, 
but we rejoice that he was given unto us, even for a sea- 
son. 

' ' Brother Thompson now gave opportunity for others 
to tell briefly in what way ' Our David ' had been made a 
blessing unto them, and in quick response man}' told how 
he had helped them along different lines, while many 
others would fain have spoken, for whom there was not 
time. It is perfectly wonderful how many lives this man 
baptized with the Holy Ghost has touched, only to bring 
blessing. 

" Brother Thompson, in closing this memorial service, 
urged us to remember that while we might not all preach 
or write like Brother Updegraff — while we might not all 
be as * great ' as he was, yet we might all be as * good ' 
as he. The same blood that washed him ' whiter than 
snow ' still flowed for our cleansing. The same blessed 
Holy .Spirit which so wonderfully empowered him was 
still abroad in the world performing His ojB&ce work upon 
the hearts of the children of men. And the same Al- 
mighty Source from which he drew his strength was still 
available for each one of us. And as we listened to the 
words of our beloved * bishop,' we believe we are safe in 
saying that there was not one present who did not then 
and there get a firmer grip on God, and resolve from that 
day to emulate ' Our David ' in being ' good ' even if we 
might not be ' great.' God help us! Amen ! 

"Just before the service closed Brother Smith spoke 
briefly of the marvelous way in which the life of Sister 
Updegraff had been spared in order that she might min- 
ister to her loved husband in his last daj-s on earth. And 
our tears overflowed afresh as we were told how just be- 
fore he fell into the comatose state that lasted until the 



284 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

end, he looked lovingly up into her eyes and whispered, 
'God knew that I would need thee, dear.' May the 
choicest blessings of our Heavenl}^ Father rest upon the 
lonely wife and the bereaved household at Mount Pleas- 
ant. Brother Smith then continued: ' This would be a 
very unfitting memorial of David B. Updegraff if some 
one did not get specially helped before it closes. ' A fiery 
exhortation was followed by a rush to the altar, and in 
the next few moments many souls received ' special help,' 
and some were fully saved. Glory ! Glory ! Truly the 
God whom * Our Darid ' loved and served is still among 
His people. This blessed service, which rnust ever re- 
main fresh in all our hearts, closed by singing, 

' One sweetly solemn thought,' 

after which Brother Thompson pronounced the benedic- 
tion, and we went to our homes praising God that Brother 
Updegraff had ever lived, and that dying he had left behind 
him so many precious memories, and also so many holy 
hands and hearts to carr>^ on the work he loved so well. 
Truly God is good to those who love Him ! " 

Next came the Memorial Servnce at 

PITMA.N GROVE, N. J. 

Here are some of the tributes paid his memory on that 
very blessed occasion : 

' * MEMORIAL. 

"Resolutions on the death of David B. Updegraff", 
passed by the Board of Directors of the Pitman Grove 
Camp- Meeting Association : 

' ' Whereas, God, in His wise and inscrutable Providence 
has taken our brother, David B. Updegraff, from the labor 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 285 

of earth to the rich reward of heaven, we desire to ex- 
press 

"I. Our unfeigned sorrow. 

" His pure character, his warm heart, his genial man- 
ner, and his unselfish devotion to the Master's work en- 
deared him to all, and especially to those who knew him 
best. His sunny smile was but the reflection of a joyous 
religion, the power of which pervaded his entire nature. 
In his death we have lost a warm friend, a wise counsel- 
lor, a tried and true Christian brother. 

" II. Our deep sense of loss. 

" For some years he has been a prominent worker in 
our [camp-meeting at Pitman Grove. Fitted by nature 
and by grace to be a religious leader of men, his labors 
with us have been successful above the common average. 
His original expositions of Scripture, his plain and forc- 
ible presentations of great truths, brought light and com- 
fort to many souls. When we gather this year for our 
meeting we will greatly miss his words of encourage- 
ment, his earnest prayers, his faithful and instructive 
sermons. It seems to us that while the work is so great, 
and truly consecrated workers so few, the world can 
poorly spare such men as he. 

"III. Our reverent submission. 

"We know that his removal from us was of God, who 
doeth all things well, and believe that the great work to 
which Brother Updegraff gave his life, will still go on. 
We are sure that behind this ' dim unknown standeth 
God within the shadows, keeping watch above his own.' 
The work is God's; the workmen also belong to Him, and 
whether they be on earth or in heaven, success shall 
come at last. 

" IV. Our profound sympathy with his family. 



286 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDECRAFF- 

' ' Our loss is great ; theirs must be infinitely greater. 
May divine grace sustain them, the divine Presence at- 
tend them, and the God of all comfort, bless and keep 
them. His memory will be to them an ever-brightening 
benediction, and the gentle influence of his life an ever- 
helpful presence. He 

" * Sank to the grave with unperceived decay, 
While resignation gently sloped the way. 
And all his prospects brightening to the last, 
His heaven commenced ere the world was passed.* 

"John S. Hkisi<kr, 
"E. Hkwitt, 

Committee. ' ' 

"friend UPPEGRAFF. 

" There has been no name among the laborers at Pit- 
man Grove which has evoked a quicker thrill of response 
from the hearts of its people than Friend David B. Upde- 
graff. He was so long associated with us that he was 
one of us. 

' ' He was so loving in his heart he needed no pathway 
of testing to enter into ours. He was so natural in his 
friendship that he needed no password into its gates 
with us. 

** He was so unaffectedly human that we instinctively 
called him brother. 

" He was so truly humble that the lowliest sinners felt 
no embarrassment in approaching him. 

* * He was so thoroughly genial that all classes of peo- 
ple loved his company. 

" He so lived ' Holiness to the I^ord ' that he reflected 
holiness toward men so that men could see it and glorify 
God. 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 287 

" He labored so freely in the Gospel that he took rank 
with Paul in working without compensation. 

" He so realized salvation that he was equally at home 
with the awakened sinner and the soul which had reached 
its stature in Christ Jesus. 

"He was so filled with the Spirit that his leadership 
asserted itself as one of Pitman's great captains of salva- 
tion, while his conversation was so really in heaven that 
our spiritual soldiers unquestioningly followed him. 

" His intelligence in spiritual things disarmed criticism 
by his manifestations of the deep things of God. 

"But he is not, for God has taken him. His face, 
irradiated with the Spirit, will beam no more upon us 
at Pitman; nor his voice float its power into our souls. 
But his presence will be with us even though we may not 
see it. Christ will not keep him away from the spot he 
loved so well, where the hosts of the Lord are encamped. 

' ' The tears with which we bedew his memory will ap- 
peal to Christ for his presence in the Spirit. The tomb- 
stone in our hearts, on which his name is written, will 
call him to us to read, ' Friend Updegraff,' laborer with 
Pitman on earth. Pitman will labor to join you in 
heaven. A. E. Bai,i.ard." 

"saint of precious memory. 

' * I formed my first personal acquaintance with the de- 
ceased at Pitman Grove on his first visit, and soon a warm 
attachment was engendered, which ripened into the closest 
friendship. In all my associations with him, I always 
found a Christian brother full of faith and love ; the em- 
bodiment of a true man filled with the fire of the Gospel, 
always ready to do good work for his Master, who took 
me to his heart. The more we met the more intense our 



288 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

esteem grew for each other. He was a workman that 
had no need to be ashamed. Always abounding in the 
love of Christ, he has gone on and proved that it is far 
better to be with the lyord. May his mantle fall on his 
associates. Jamks M. Cassidy." 

" ' Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man 
fallen this day, in the death of Rev. David B. Updegraff ?' 
It came upon us suddenly and unexpectedly. We had 
been accustomed to look upon him as a model of physical 
development in the strength of vigorous manhood, with a 
constitution almost impervious to disease ; and withal a 
man possessing great moral power and high intellectual 
culture, not only in the halls of science, but in the school 
of Christ. He was a man who could tell others what he 
knew and believed, in the most pleasing and convincing 
manner. The death of such a man is fei<T to be a ca- 
lamity, when we come to realize that we shall see his face 
no more. And yet, though dead, he will still live en- 
shrined in the heart of a vast multitude who, at Pitman 
Grove, Ocean Grove, and many other places, received the 
Word of God from his lips, touched with a live coal from 
God's altar. Earnest and impassioned in his address, we 
have seen him pour out his soul in a stream of burning 
eloquence, seeming never to think of weariness in his in- 
tense desire to save souls and lift the church to a higher 
plane of religious experience. In this he was abundantly 
successful, and many will now rise up and call him blessed. 

" Some will no doubt incline to the opinion that he was 
a sacrifice to his burning zeal for the cause of the Master; 
that he crowded too much in a few years of earnest toil. 
Still, as we think of the past and the present, and look 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES, 289 

forward to the future and the coming glory, we may well 
exclaim, ' Servant of God, well done! ' 

"H. M. Brown." 

" David B. Updegraff was one of the brightest illustra- 
tions of gospel liberty I ever knew. He testified to a 
freedom from the bondage of sin in such a way as to carry 
conviction that he was ' free indeed.' In his public min- 
istry he was remarkably free in thought and language 
and manner. I have seen him before large audiences and 
under various circumstances, but I never saw him embar- 
rassed. He never appeared more at home than in these 
services, where he invited questions on the line of Chris- 
tian hoUness. His answers were given instantly, and with 
remarkable clearness. Taking him all in all, he was the 
freest man I ever knew in the body, and now that his soul 
has been liberated from the earthly house and has sailed 
out into the eternal sphere, he is just where he seemed so 
well fitted to be when we looked upon him as he stood 
before us in the auditorium of Pitman Grove. 

"J. S. Heislkr." 

" Surely no one who knew this wonderful man could 
doubt for a moment that he was fully set apart and di- 
vinely commissioned, like the Apostle Paul, for a special 
work in the churches. His masterly sermons, his im- 
promptu addresses, his instructive and surprising Bible 
readings, and his bright, cheery, loving, stainless personal 
life, all clearly show that he was intimately acquainted 
with Jesus and walked close to Him, and delighted to be 
in His company and have all others enjoy the same blessed 
privilege and experience. And who could doubt but that 
he had a marvelous insight into the mysteries of that 
wonderful book, the Bible. What lucid unfoldings of the 



290 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Word, made so clear and plain, and which had been to 
many sealed up all their lives. 

" He was a theological seminar}^ in himself. His Bible 
expositions, and his ready and convincing answers to the 
most profound questions relating to doctrine and Chris- 
tian experience, exceeded anything we have ever heard, 
and in the language of Rev. E. F. Walker, of the Presby- 
terian ministry, I would sa}^ ' My true yoke-fellow ! Thou 
wast very pleasant to me ! Thy going has torn my heart ! 
This poor earth is poorer without thee in it, and lonelier. 
But heaven is dearer and seems nearer now. When I 
meet thee there, I will try to tell thee how much thou 
hast been to me.' Rev. W. Walton." 

At the next Annual Gathering in the parlors of Eliza- 
beth Farnuniy at 1214 Arch street, Philadelphia, held in 
April, 1895, David's absence was very much felt. God 
seemed, however, to grant unusual favor and fervor to 
Brother Clark, upon whom the responsibility of guiding 
the meeting now fell. It was the mind, both of Sister 
Farnum and Brother Clark, that a meviorial service should 
be held here also. And like nearly all the others referred 
to, this service w^as attended with the salvation of souls. 
No less than six, we think, entered into the experience of 
perfect love upon this occasion. 

We give Rev. John Thompson's report of this servdc* 

" MEMORIAL SERVICE. 

' ' A very spiritual and heart-touching ser^nce in mem- 
ory of our dearly beloved David B. Updegraff was held 
in the parlors of our esteemed Sister Elizabeth H. Far- 
num of Philadelphia, Thursday afternoon, April 18, 1895. 
Appropriate hymns were sung by Dr. H. L. Gilmour, 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 291 

which were heartily united in by the congregation with 
tenderness and tears. Sisters Cassie L. Smith and Clara 
Boyd led in prayer, after which Dr. Dougan Clark read 
the following Scriptures: 

' The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.' 
— Psa. 112: 6. 

* Precious in the sight of the I^ord is the death of His 
saints.'— Psa. 116: 15. 

'The memory of the just is blessed.' — Prov. 10: 7. 

' But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, 
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, 
even as others which have no hope. 

* For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even 
so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with 
him. 

' For this we say unto yovi by the word of the Lord, 
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of 
the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

* For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with 
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

' Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught 
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord 
in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

'Wherefore comfort one another with these words.' — 
I. Thess. 4: 13-18. 

'And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from 
henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from 
their labors; and their works do follow them." — Rev. 14: 
13. 

' ' Not having at our command a short-hand reporter, 
we can only give the substance of the addresses. 



292 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

"Elizabeth H. Farnum was the first to speak. She 
said there was so much in her mind that she almost feared 
to attempt to speak lest she might take up too much time. 
She said : * David B. Updegraff was to me as a spiritual 
adviser more than any other man. He was not only of 
service to me as a spiritual adviser, but I found him a 
wise and safe counsellor in other matters. This meeting 
would not have been continued to this day had it not been 
for the advice and influence of Brother Updegraff and 
Dr. Clark. Many are here to-day who well remember 
how wonderfully the I^ord used Brother Updegraff in these 
services. We cannot tell how many were converted and 
how many were led into the experience of holiness through 
his instruction. But I must stop, my heart is too full for 
expression.' 

" Rev. Henry J, Zelley, of the New Jersey Conference: 
Five years ago Brother Updegraff was instrumental in 
leading me into the experience of heart purity at Mount- 
ain lyake Park. Since then I have been on the most in- 
timate terms with him. I have enjoyed the blessed priv- 
ilege of having him at my home. I have enjoyed his 
preaching and other services at camp-meeting. To me it 
is a great privilege to testify to his deep piety and to the 
blessed influence he has had and will continue to have on 
my life. I love Brother Updegraff. 

"Rev. D. H. Kenney, of Philadelphia: Brother Upde- 
graff did not know me intimately, but I knew him, and I 
have cause to be thankful that I was ever brought within 
the reach of his holy influence. The I^ord made him a 
great blessing to me at Mountain Lake Park. I have 
known other great and good men, but few others were to 
me what this saint of God was. 

"Rev. George Hughes: I am glad this is not a funeral 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 293 

vService. Brother Updegraff still lives. He has simply 
changed the place of his abode. In other words, he has 
been promoted. We know what he has been promoted 
from, but we cannot even imagine what he has been 
promoted to. He knew much while he was here with 
us, but how little did he know then compared with what 
he knows now. His removal is a providential mystery. 
We cannot tell why the lyord took him away. It may 
be the I^ord had need for just such a man in heaven. But 
while we do not know why the I^ord took him, we do 
know that infinite wisdom makes no mistakes. ' The 
Lord doeth all things well.' We greatly miss him, and 
shall continue to miss him, but we will soon go to join 
his company where 'they never say good-bye.' 

" Lidie H. Kenney: I thank God for Brother Upde- 
graff. I am glad it was ever my privilege to be brought 
under the spiritual influence of this great and good man. 
I attended the meetings that he held in this room from 
the beginning, also the meetings that he held at Mount- 
ain Lake Park from the beginning. It was at Mountain 
Lake Park where the Lord made him such a special 
blessing to my soul. I was in the experience of heart 
purity before I knew him, but he was the instrument in 
the hands of the Lord in leading me into deeper and 
higher and sweeter experiences than I ever enjoyed be- 
fore knowing him. Thank God that Brother Updegraff 
still lives. I shall see him again. 

" Rev. Joseph H. Smith : Inasmuch as I expect in a 
short time to publish ' The Life and Work of Rev. David 
B. Updegraff,' I hesitate to speak now, and yet I feel im- 
pelled to say a few words. I want to say that if we 
except the ministry of Rev. J. S. Inskip there is no man 
of our day who has led more souls into the blessed expe- 



294 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

lience of holiness than our beloved Brother Updegraff. 
Then I want to call attention to the fact that he took 
special pains to honor the blood of Christ. He was 
broad in his views and especially free from bigotry, but 
no man and no book could have his religious indorse- 
ment who did not honor the blood of Christ. Next to the 
blood you will remember how on all occasions he was 
very careful to honor the Holy Ghost. We do well to 
follow Brother Updegraff fully in these two particulars. 
We are not called on so to broaden our views as to put 
ourselves in sympathy with those who, either directly or 
indirectly, ignore the blood of Christ or fail to honor the 
Holy Ghost. This much I felt that I ought to say. 

"Rev. E. I. D. Pepper: At the time of the death of 
Brother Updegraff I gave full vent to my views and feel- 
ings in my editorial in the Christian Stajidard. But I 
want to emphasize one point here. That is, that the trait 
of religious character that especially arrested my atten- 
tion in the life of Brother Updegraff was his passion for 
saving souls. I have been with him under a great vari- 
ety of circumstances, and I have not failed to notice that 
whether in the cars or in the streets or in meetings the 
great matter with him was to be on the watch for oppor- 
tunities for soul-saving. In this respect I think I never 
knew his equal. His great heart went out for opportu- 
nities to be instrumental in the salvation of souls. 

"Jesse Shiber: Just about where I am now standing 
I gave my first definite testimony to the experience of 
perfect love. Brother Updegraff was present, and as 
I sat down he said very encouragingly, ' God bless you, 
my brother.' From that time I have had pleasant recol- 
lections of this sainted man of God, and that ' God bless 
you, my brother,' seems to go with me. It was not alto- 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 295 

gether what he said, but there was something in his man- 
ner of saying it that gave special force to what he said. 
I shall always cherish precious recollections of this deeply 
pious man of God. 

" Rev. Isaac Nay lor, the Yorkshire evangelist: I have 
not had ^o long an acquaintance with Brother Updegraff 
as some of you, but I had an intimacy with him that 
makes his precious memory very dear to my soul. I 
have been with him not only in camp-meeting and re- 
vival services, but I had the privilege of spending two 
weeks with him in his own happy Christian home. We 
have good opportunities of knowing the saints of God 
outside of their homes, but there is certainly no better 
place to get to know people than in their homes. The 
two weeks that I enjoyed in the home of this good man 
of God only confirmed the high estimate that I had of 
his piety before I was privileged to have this delightful 
privilege of abiding under his roof I shall be a better 
man as I believe, all my days for having had the acquaint- 
ance of Rev. David B. UpdegrafF." 

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT HI 

lyOving tributes published in the Christian Standard: 

"Abbie Mills, Aurora, 111. : Brother UpdegrafF was one 
of the most brotherly of brothers to me. I praise God for 
having witnessed his success in helping souls into light. 

" Josiah Landis, lyititz. Pa. : I greatly admired the late 
David B. Updegraff. He was a holy man of God. I am 
reading with profit his book, * Old Corn.' 

"Oliver M. L<ednum, Bosman, Md. : To the memory 
of David B. Updegraff I shall never forget his looks when 
he was at Easton, Md. It was there I plunged in the 
cleansing fountain. 



296 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDE GRAFF, 

" L. W. Burroughs, Richmond, Va. : I mourn because 
dear Brother Updegraff has gone, but praise God for his 
example and teaching, which abide with me in sweetness, 
power, and blessing. 

"Rev. I. P. McKee, Pittsburg, Pa.: Brother Upde- 
graff was a zealous and a courageous man of God, called 
to preach the Gospel. Dead, but still he lives in the 
hearts of thousands. 

** Rev. James D. Acker, Germantown, Philadelphia, 
Pa. : Oh, how I was grieved to learn of the ' early depart- 
ure ' of our dear Brother Updegraff; but God has done it, 
I will be submissive. 

"Rev. I. Simmons, D. D., Danbury, Conn.: I praise 
God for a holy intimacy with the spirit of Rev. David B. 
Updegraff. I mourn his departure. The memory of our 
last interview is precious. 

"A. M. Cheeks, Mt. Holly, N. J. : Brother Updegraff 
has been a blessing to me. I received much light from 
him in the line of holiness. In all time to come his mem- 
ory to me will be precious. 

"Elizabeth A. Mitchell, Hayesville, Pa.: We have 
sustained a great loss in the death of our dear Brother 
Updegraff. But our loss is no doubt his eternal gain. 
His name will always be dear to me. 

"A. R. Craig, Stoneham, Mass.: I have been greatly 
helped and blessed by listening to Brother Updegraff. I 
feel impelled to mourn with the rest, though not inti- 
mately acquainted with him. 

"E. L. Hill, Emerson, Ohio: Translated, glorified, 
crowned, our beloved spiritual guide, used of God in 
leading me into light and liberty. Bereaved, but rejoicing 
in hope. He walked with God, and God took him. 

" Lucy ly. Wood, Emerson, Ohio: While we mourn our 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 297 

loss in the death of Brother Updegraff, we rejoice to be- 
lieve he is safe in his heavenly home. 

* Free from sorrow, pain, and care, 
Sweetly resting over there.' 

" Iv. D. Crooks, Greensburg, Ind. : Dear brother: I am 
thankful to God that He ever led me to an acquaintance 
with Brother Updegraff. The memory of this precious 
man is a blessing to my soul. I expect to spend eternity 
with him. 

"Rev. Daniel Steele, D. D., Boston, Mass. : David B. 
Updegraff was a notable specimen of a son of God, ' free, 
indeed,' through the ' more abundant life' inspired in the 
believer ' sanctified wholly ' and ' filled with all the full- 
ness of God.' 

" Rev. Philip Haendiges, Philadelphia, Pa. : I am sorry 
to part with Brother Updegraff, but I praise the lyord that 
he ever lived. I rejoice in the hope that I shall shout 
with him in glory. Dear Brother Updegraff was a great 
blessing to me as he was to thousands of others. 

**Wm. W. Brilhart, Indiana, Pa.: Our beloved David 
is gone. He now stands on the shining shore beck- 
oning us to come. Oh, what depths of pure love flowed 
from his soul! His memory is precious. It seems to me 
I almost hear him singing, 

' I am dwelling on the mountain.' 

"Allan and Eliza Tomlinson, Westfield, Ind.: Words 
fail to convey our feelings of sorrow on receipt of the in- 
telligence of the death of our dear friend, David B. Upde- 
graff. May God in His goodness console his dear family 
in this dark hour of tribulation. 
_ *'Rev. H. J. Zelley, Moorestown, N. J.: I loved David 



298 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Updegraff. Under his ministry I found full salvation. 
He was a man of God, and his life and teaching honored 
his Master. I feel that I have lost a dear friend by his 
death. He was truly a great man and will be missed. 

" M. A. Sparling, N. H. : It was a great surprise to me, 
as it was to many others, to hear of the death of Brother 
David B. Updegraff. Our loss is his infinite and eternal 
gain. Thousands who were brought to Christ through 
his instrumentality will rejoice in anticipation of spending 
a happy eternity with him. 

"Jennie Smith, Mountain lyake Park, Md.: How vividly 
we see the face of our beloved Brother Updegraff coming 
up the steps where we always met him and his faithful 
co-worker. Dr. Clark, as they came to the opening meet- 
ing in the parlors. All are praying the Holy Ghost will 
fill the vacancy of the greatly missed one. 

'' Mrs. Esther Tuttle Pritchard, Kokemo, Ind. : The loss 
of Brother Updegraff is a terrible one to us personally 
and to our ancestral church, of which he was a true re- 
former. So often we have said, ' We have but one David, 
so clear-sighted and true to Christ.' I date my richest 
experience in divine things from his ministry. 

"Rev. J. F. Grob, Baltimore, Md.: The words of our 
beloved Brother Updegraff were luminous like lightning 
and refreshing like water brooks. Bold ones grew modest 
in his presence. Timid ones grew courageous under his 
teaching — weak and embarrassed ones were helped and 
made strong through his influence. Praise the Lord ! Glory ! 

"Kate Applegate, Indianapolis, Ind.: We heard of 
Brother Updegraff 's ascension yesterday. While we know 
he had a triumphant entrance into glory, yet we feel 
lonesome without him. How greatly we shall miss him! 
Perhaps we were depending too much on him. How the 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 299 

props are being taken away ! But no good thing will He 
withhold from them that walk uprightly. 

" Rev. George \V. Brindell, Eldora, Iowa: I first crossed 
the pathway of that sainted man of God, Rev. David B. 
Updegraff, in Iowa, at West Branch, twelve years ago. 
We never met till you introduced me to him recently at 
Mrs. Farnum's meetings. How I praise God for those 
five hours in his society, and for the hope of spending 
eternity in just such company! 

"Rev. William Jones, D. D., Sedalia, Mo.: Because 
friendship is of heavenly origin, immortal in flower and 
fruitage, I am comforted while I read, David B. Updegraff 
is dead. I may never be able to tell how helpful and in- 
spiring his words have been to me during the past ten 
years. He was truly a workman that needed not to be 
ashamed and I rejoice to count him among my dearly 
beloved friends. 

* ' Cassie L. Smith, Ocean Grove, N. J. : How can we 
write of an ' angel of the churches ' in twenty-five words? 
I have tried, but think of the attempt as the tiniest sprig 
of evergreen to the memory of David Updegraff through 
whose promotion I am bereaved. A representative of 
Christian heroism and holy zeal, so thoroughly saved he 
could afford to be natural; a great-hearted, God-commis- 
sioned, faithful under-shepherd. 

"Rev. W. H. Swartz, Springville, N. Y.: Brother 
David Updegraff was a prince in Israel. His acquaint- 
ance, spiritual ministrations, and childli^ce character were 
a great blessing to me. 

" Rev. John M. Davis, Oakland, Md. : Sorry to learn 
of the death of our beloved Brother Updegraff'. How 
greatly we shall miss him at Mountain Lake Park ! 
Truly a great and a good man has fallen. 



300 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFR 

" Frances B. Addy, Denver, Col. : A ' bishop of souls,' 
a Friend, a bishop 'not man-made, but God-made,' 
' chosen of God/ ' commissioned by Christ and inspired 
by the Holy Spirit.' God's nobleman. 

" Mrs. E. E. Williams, Roodhouse, 111. : Everything I 
am as a Christian worker I owe, under God, to David B. 
UpdegrafF. In grateful love, with sorrowful, yet submis- 
sive heart, I would lay this tribute upon the resting-place 
of * our King David.' 

" Dougan Clark, M.D., Richmond, Ind. : Dearly be- 
loved Brother Updegraff, my spiritual father in holiness, 
my helper, leader, instructor, adviser, encourager, re- 
prover in my holiness work. My friend, admired, hon- 
ored, loved. Alas ! my brother, farewell ! 

"Mrs. M. R. Skinner, St. I^ouis, Mo.: I send these 
lines to give expression to my rejoicing grief; on his ac- 
count rejoicing, on our own sorrow. I know that our 
Father doeth all things well, and is able to fill the va- 
cancy. I send this token in esteem of 'our King David.' 

" Rev. Isaac Naj'-lor, Yorkshire Evangelist, Yorkshire, 
England : Glorious Brother UpdegrafF ! I thank God that 
I ever made the acquaintance of such a hero for Jesus. 
He ' fought a good fight and he has gone for his crown.' 
Thou sainted spirit, in a little while we will be with 
thee. 

"Mrs. J. S. Sloat, Newburg, N. Y. : We wish to be 
counted among the multitudes who are mourning because 
our beloved Brother Updegraff has been taken from us. 
We are fully satisfied that he is a victor crowned. We 
feel lonesome without him, but deep down in our hearts 
we are still sajang, *Thy will be done.' 

" Rev. J. Fred. Heisse, editor of the Baltimore Method- 
ist : The death of this noted Quaker evangelist is sin- 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 301 

cerely mourned. He was, indeed, a prince in Israel. 
Testimony everywhere catalogues him a great and good 
man. He was not simply a member of the Friends' 
church. He belonged to all evangelical denominations. 
He was strong in preaching, successful in leading, con- 
vincing in teaching and as a soul-winner. Camp-meet- 
ings, congregations, evangelistic services by the score 
emphasize his marvelous victories. 

"Lizzie R. Smith, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa.: 
The sermon that Brother Updegraff preached at Mount- 
ain Lake Park camp-meeting last summer was a great 
blessing to my soul. Its influence has lingered with me 
all the year. I just needed such a sermon, and while 
I have no doubt others beside myself were helped and 
strengthened in their purposes, it seemed to me as though 
the sermon was preached for my special benefit. We will 
greatly miss our beloved Brother Updegraff, but if faith- 
ful we shall meet him again. Praise the Lord ! 

" Rev. John Parker, Mount Kisco, N. Y.: I was never 
at Mountain Lake Park, so did not often see dear * Uncle 
David ' at his best. But I loved him sincerely because of 
his transparent simplicity, reality, purity, faith, and cour- 
age. He believed and therefore he spake, caring', nothing 
for the echo, but only for the revelation given to him, 
and the authority that sent him and the object that 
winged his feet and fired his heart. His ' Old Corn ' will 
become new manna to us all now. Blessed be his mem- 
ory, and blessed be God who gave him to us. 

" Mrs. Anna M. Hammer, Philadelphia, Pa. : Our dear 
Brother Updegraff was always a great help to me. His 
answers to questions on the subject of religion were 
always forcible and satisfactory. On one occasion I 
asked him if people, when they were sanctified, were so 



302 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

saved that they could not sin. He said, 'No, they are 
not so saved as to make it impossible for them to sin. 
They are not saved from the capacity to sin, but they are 
saved from the propensity or desire to sin.' This to 
me was very satisfactory. I praise the Lord for the wise 
counsel I have received from our departed Brother Upde- 
graff. 

"Miss Susan Plessner Pollock, Washington, D. C, 
and Miss Minnie Dougherty, Baltimore, Md. : It was 
with a shock of sorrow and surprise we read in the Chris- 
tian Standard of the death of the faithful worker, David 
B. Updegraff. As we met one and another friend at 
church the next day who had seen and heard him at 
Mountain Lake Park, each had some earnest word of his 
to tell, which was as strong and fresh in their minds and 
heart as if spoken yesterday. This was his gift, to so 
impress his hearers that they took home what he said, 
and thus shall his work live after him. It has been taken 
home by the many who heard him to the many who did 
not, and now, alas ! cannot. 

** Rev. Adam Wallace, Ocean Grove, N. J. : Among the 
ascended o) 1894, those who have already gone or those 
who may 3'et pass over the river, we suppose it to be un- 
likely that a single personage will be more widely and 
sincerel}^ mourned than our beloved David B. Updegraff. 
It is now about twenty 3^ears since we first met with Rev. 
D. B. Updegraff, and almost at first sight gave him the 
confidence and admiration of our heart as a brother be- 
loved in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. This 
sincere and heart respect increased year after 3'ear as we 
had opportunity to see more of the man and learn more 
of the mind of Christ through his ministry. Christians of 
all denominations accepted him as a heavenly-instructed 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 303 

teacher of Gospel truth, and loved his genial spirit and 
forceful ministry. Let those of us who remain learn to 
lean harder on God and give full proof of our submission 
by saying, ' Thy will be done.' 

" D. K. Landis, Strasburg, Pa.: Well, our much beloved 
Brother Updegraff and father in the gospel has gone to 
his heavenly mansion. I am one of the thousands who had 
been praying for Brother Updegraff, and hoping that he 
might be with us to bless the church and the world for 
many years. But in this sore bereavement, as in all other 
trials, I find my greatest happiness in saying, ' Thy ^dll 
be done. ' I pray God that this severe trial may be sancti- 
fied to our good. Let those of us who remain be more 
untiring in our zeal to spread scriptural holiness. 

"Rev. N. C. McLean, Toledo, Ohio: Lips cannot ex- 
press nor pen describe my sorrow of heart since hearing 
of the death of our beloved David B. Updegraff. I can 
not restrain the tears as I think that we shall never again 
hear the voice of that dear good man in this world. I 
am but one of the thousands to whom God made him a 
great spiritual blessing. May God, by the power of di- 
vine grace, sustain Sister Updegraff, who mourns the loss 
of a devoted husband and the children who mourn the 
loss of an affectionate father. 

' ' While his friends are so deeply mourning his loss, 
we remember the great contrast for him. He rests from 
his labors, oh, how sweetly, in the presence of Christ, 
for whom he so nobly stood, and whose Gospel he so 
eloquently preached. Many there are who can truly call 
him blessed. 

"Mrs. Lidie H. Kenney, Mount Alverno, Pa.: The 
death of our beloved Updegraff was to me a great surprise. 
I knew he was in poor health, but could not bring myself 



304 MEMOIR OF DAVID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

to believe that his work was done. Even now it seems 
difficult to believe he has departed. In the death of 
Brother Updegraff 1 have lost a true Christian friend. 
Spiritually, he was a great blessing to me. I shall 
miss him greatly. This is to me as well as to others, 
a mysterious providence. But in this, as in everything 
else, the submissive cry of my soul is, 'Thy will be 
done.' 

"Rev. W. Walton, Secretary of Pitman Grove Camp 
Meeting Association: I dearly loved Brother David B. 
Updegraff. He was so good, so great, so bright, so sweet 
and so instructive. With thousands of his dear friends I 
feel that I am greatly bereaved. There was but one Da- 
vid B. Updegraff. I mourn because of the great loss we 
have sustained. 

"A. H. Hussey, Mount Pleasant, Ohio: In 1870 my 
beloved Brother Updegraff taught me, by faith, the way 
of holiness. Glory! Since then he has been to me a 
loving counsellor and friend. I feel most keenly the loss 
I have sustained in his death. I was with him much 
during his last sickness. We talked together of his de- 
parture, prayed together, and in his last moment we sang 
together around his bed-side. 

Sweeping through the gates.* 

He is now with that Savior whom he loved so well and 
served so faithfully. We shall greet each other again on 
the eternal shore. No doubt ere this he has heard the 
Master's voice, ' Well done, good and faithful servant; 
enter thou into the joy of thy I^ord. ' 

" A tribute to the memory of David B. Updegraff by 
J. C. Dorman, Cincinnati, Ohio: 



MEMORIALS AND LOVING TRIBUTES. 305 

Devoted 

Aggressive 

Vigilant 

Impressive 

Daring 

Benevolent 

Upright 

Pious 

Diligent 

Earnest 

Gifted 

Righteous 

Alert 

Fearless 

Faithful 

' ' Faithful ambassador of Christ ! Clear teacher of God's 
Truth! Princely proclaimer of the Gospel! Mighty apos- 
tle of Holiness! Valiant leader of God's hosts! Zealous, 
patient, tireless soul-winner! lyustrous example of per- 
fect love ! Tender husband ! Loving father ! Gentle 
brother! Genial friend! David beloved! My true yoke- 
fellow! Thou wast very pleasant to me. Thy going has 
torn m}^ heart. This poor earth is poorer without thee 
in it, and lonelier. But heaven is dearer and seems nearer 
now. When I meet thee there I will try to tell thee how 
much thou hast been to me. Thither, my footsteps 
quicken! Till the morning breaks, adieu, Oh, precious! 

' Then where unbroken friendship reigns, 
Nor of divided joy complains, 
Shall rise our blest, angelic strains, 
Together. 

" Kdward F. Walker." 



CHAPTER XXV, 

HIS WORKS DO FOLLOW HIM. 
" He being dead yet speaketh." 

g^UCH a man as David Updegraff is immortal in two 
f-/ worlds. For while he rests from his labors and is 
present with his Lord his works remain and will increase 
with the years. 

It is here that men and ministers should reflect and in- 
quire as to the enduring character of the work to which 
they are devoting their time and energies. The works 
of some men live scarcely as long as they do, though they 
were approved and applauded for these works in their 
day. Men whose ambition and reputation is to build 
churches, to raise monies, to attract large congregations, 
to attain offices, to acquire scholarship, may accomplish 
their object, and that not without beneficial effects. Yet 
they may live to see many of these things decay and dis- 
appear, and many of them go into obscurity and be for- 
gotten, because they have been superseded by something 
a little better of the same kind. These things were never 
meant to endure. The^^ are as the " wood," " hay," and 
"stubble" to which the apostle alludes. And, more- 
over, building in these materials is not conducive to 
the spiritual life and prosperity of the builder; for 
though he shall be saved, y-et it is " so as by fire," and 



HIS WORKS DO FOLLO W HIM. 307 

he "suffers the loss" of the best of a life-time's oppor- 
tunities. 

The kind of work to which David Updegraff gave him- 
self for these twenty-five years is not so likely to attract 
the attention of the world nor to win the appreciation of 
the selfish and worldly in the church, as many other 
kinds of w^ork that may be called Christian work would ; 
nor are his successes and achievements so easil}^ recog- 
nized by those who measure everything by ecclesiastical 
tapelines or numerical statistics, as they are by those who, 
having accustomed themselves to look upon the Invisible 
One, have developed ability to see the honor which God 
places upon many things which men overlook and de- 
spise. Some of our readers will be surprised when we 
tell them that we have really seen it hinted in an English 
magazine since Brother Updegraff' s death that " he was 
a disappointed man, having failed in the work he at- 
tempted to do. " Well! He was the most triumphant and 
joyful "disappointed" man that w^e have ever known, 
and we are convinced that he was the most successful 
man that ever ' ' failed ! ' ' Ah ! All such criticism and 
observ^ation is but current comment on Paul's declarations 
concerning the inability of the natural man to discern 
spiritual things, and that the spiritual man is discerned of 
no man. When the works and the memory of all those 
men who would seek to chain liberty, or to extinguish 
the fire of Holiness, or to act as lords over God's herit- 
age, are long ago forgotten, then still the w^orks of David 
Updegraff will live on, to bless an increasing number of 
souls and to meet him with great reward on the final 
reckoning day. 

Revivalism is, we trust, now a permanent factor in ag- 
gressive Quakerism. It is true, as we have seen in this 



308 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

narrative, that this work had begun before David's minis- 
try had commenced, but it received a mighty impetus 
and extension under his labors, and more efficient meth- 
ods were introduced by him for carrying on this work, 
so that now, in many Friends' meetings, the revival is a 
fixed, institution; and the number is growing. This is 
better than building " three a day," frame, brick, or stone 
church edifices. For these will crumble and decay. 
Whoever can rise up to stem an anti-revival tide which 
is setting in in some parts of Methodism, or to make place 
for Holy Ghost revivals in churches which have never 
known them, at least in recent generations, will do his 
church a ser\'ice which David Updegraff assisted in doing 
for his. And it will be service, we venture to judge, of 
greater value to that church than even if he were to en- 
dow a National University under its control. 

Toleration is bound to be tolerated in the Friends' 
church. We do not know that the ordinances will ever 
obtain authoritative recognition. We do not predict that. 
David never strove for that. But we dare to predict that, 
with the growing spirituality of the church, the increas- 
ing number who see the scriptural authority for the two 
simple ordinances of the Christian religion, the growing 
sentiment against the injustice of such intolerance as is 
yet exhibited, especially towards a minister who will obey 
God and the dictates of his own conscience in the mat- 
ter — we saj^, we venture to predict that the little smooth 
stone from David's sling-shot has hit the Goliah in a vital 
spot, and after a few more struts and strides, he will 
stagger and fall among the slain of the Lord. So that 
we believe, under David Updegraff 's faithful, fearless, 
self-sacrificing ministry, forces have been set in motion 
that will never be stilled until Quakers everywhere shall 



HIS WORK'S DO FOLLOW HIM. 309 

be free, without fear of those over them in the Lord, to 
thus fulfill all righteousness whenever under the light of 
the Spirit, the Word, and their consciences, they see it 
uncumbent upon them to do so. 

Holmes s is spreading in the Friends' church, and its 
interdenominational movements are extending as never 
before. In both of these directions the work of Brother 
Updegraff is destined to advance and increase. Few, if 
any, of the distinguished evangelists and revivalistic mem- 
bers in his own denomination but what are sound in doc- 
trine, and most of them definite in testimony upon this 
great central theme of Christianity. Many of those who 
are blazing the way for their people in other churches, 
are men and women who lighted their torches at fires 
which he helped to kindle. What might be called the 
Updegraff stamp (as seen in characteristics we have noted, 
and in features of Mountain Lake Park Camp Meeting) will 
be seen and felt in the Holiness movement for many days to 
come. We would not, indeed, be surprised if the great 
camp-meeting which he so successfully launched and pi- 
loted for about nine years w^ere to become the nucleus of 
a more gigantic Holiness movement than the church or 
the w^orld has ever yet known. 

Nor should we close this simple tribute to his memory, 
and prophecy of the continuance of his work, without re- 
membrance of the precious children that have come up 
under that sacred roof, and midst associations and influ- 
ences so hallowed as those which attended their dear 
father. Four noble men, four noble women, live as the 
natural monuments of his life and love. They partake 
very largely of his genius, his talents and his strength. 
No one of them has, as yet, we think, quite reached the 
age of their father, at the beginning of his millistr3^ 



310 MEMOIR OF DA VID B. UPDEGRAFF. 

Most, if not all of them, have had a personal acquaint- 
ance with the God of their father. Some of them are 
abiding in that perfect love which so charmed his life. We 
have wondered if upon some of them his mantle might 
not fall. May God graciously grant it I 

As we draw these pages to a close, we are more than 
ever conscious of the weakness and unworthiness of our 
tribute to the great and good man. Studying him the 
more and more closely, as we have penned these lines, we 
have become more and more deeph' impressed ^^'ith the 
grandeur of his character, and the goodness of his life. 
Our own heart was knit to him in life, as the heart of 
Jonathan to David. We seem quite unable yet to believe 
him gone from among us. His presence and friendship 
do not appear to be things of the past. He lives more 
in our heart, even, than in our memory. He has en- 
grained himself in our ver^' life. 

We join with our beloved Brother Clark in these words 
of farewell: 

Fare thee well, beloved brother and spiritual leader and 
helper and guide. Thou wast ever firm and brave and 
steadfast for the truth. Thou wast ever tender and- lov- 
ing and affectionate toward the lambs of the flock. Thou 
hast been ver^^ pleasant to me, r^y Brother David. I miss 
thee at evers^ turn. God give me grace to folloW' thee as 
thou didst follow Christ. May He strengthen me to do 
m}^ little work faithfully and well, as thou didst thy great 
work. x\nd in His own good time ma}' we meet again, 
where there is no more sin, and no more sorrow, and no 
more death. Glory to the Lamb. 



"OLD CORN." 

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